I am Will: Part 2
by redfox1303
Summary: Continuation of 'I am Will'. William has been reunited with his biological parents and has been living on base at the Arctic research station. Everyone is desperately searching for the cure for the impending apocalypse but things start to take a turn for the worst when Rachel is abducted and the base comes under attack. William must fight to save his fathers life.
1. Chapter 1

Scully lay peacefully in her bed, the apartment hovering at a steady seventy degrees fahrenheit. Her entire world had turned upside down the moment he'd come into her life. She's swapped the pantsuits and hand guns for diapers and onesies. Her days were no longer ruled by paperwork deadlines, but instead revolved around his three hourly feeds.

William stirred in the room across the hall and she held her breath in hopes he'd drift back to sleep. No such luck came as his uncontrollable wail soon followed.

Scully rolled over wearily; the alarm clock read 2:04am. She groaned. William had allowed her a whole twenty-five minutes before the screaming returned. She dragged herself out of the tangled mess of covers and reached blindly for the lamp switch. Yawning, she thrust both arms into her robe and wrapped the tie snugly round her waist, her baby bump diminishing with each week that passed.

The mobile above his cot made shadows dance across the ceiling in a hypnotic fashion. She flicked the bedside light on dim to reveal the tearful infant curled under his blanket.

"I'm here, baby, I'm here" She soothed, picking him out of the basket and holding him close.

The crying faded as he pressed his face into her shoulder.

Scully's mind contemplated the long list of possible desires. He couldn't be hungry already; she'd only just fed him. She smelt him cautiously; no more offensive than usual, he didn't need a change.

William shoved his little fist into his mouth and began chewing away. He already had a tiny tooth appearing; perhaps that was what was causing him grief?

"Okay, little one"

She was about to lay him back down, just as he promptly vomited all over her.

She stood for a moment, too tired to care and contemplating returning to bed naked instead of searching for another pair of pyjamas.

"Better now?" She asked her fidgeting child.

William looked finally content, rubbing his eyes with his little hands.

"You can't go back to bed like this, can you" She sighed at the vomit covered dragon patterned onesie he was sporting.

She lay him down on the changing mat and began rooting through the dresser to find a clean set. Marvin the Martian, a thoughtful gift from Walter; she pulled out the loony tunes onesie and tossed it on the side before peeling off the old one.

William cried as she unpopped the buttons.

"You and me both" She exhaled.

After wrestling his wildly thrashing legs, she'd finally managed to get him clean and dressed.

"Do you wanna sleep with me for a while, William?"

She carried him across the hall and settled him into her large bed. Carefully she stripped her own pyjamas off and searched the pile of clothes for another set. She quickly gave up and flung one of Mulder's t-shirts over her head, before climbing in next to her baby.

"Come on now William, I know you're tired, go to sleep, _please_ "

She kissed his forehead and wrapped the covers loosely around him,

"Night, little one"

Scully lay her head back down on the pillow and snuggled into the mattress. Beside her, William babbled to himself happily, lifting the covers up with his feet and letting them drop back down onto him. He giggled each time.

It wasn't long before he'd manoeuvred himself sideways and started kicking her sharply in the back.

"William, come on" She groaned.

He screamed in excitement and continued the motion. She rolled over and cuddled her wriggling child, praying that he'd fall asleep along with her.

"You haven't slept barely a wink in the past twenty four hours, really how can you have this much energy?"

It shouldn't have surprised her. After all, Mulder often functioned on a mere five hours sleep, choosing to spend his evenings sat in front of a computer screen, or better yet, in the good old days, sat with numerous paper articles. His desk, and in fact his entire apartment would be covered in files. 'Organised chaos', he'd call it.

She glanced at the clock again. Mulder was due back over an hour ago.

The sound of keys on a key chain and the door eking closed came from downstairs. Mulder's feeble attempts to be quiet on return. It was no use, mind, her hearing had become super-sensitised since having William.

Her son's playful giggling had quickly been replaced with groggy whimpering as her lack of engagement bored him. By the time Mulder had appeared upstairs, it had turned into a full-blown tantrum.

Mulder smiled as he entered the bedroom, removing his jacket and letting it drop to the floor. She'd gone way past caring about home-pride; instead the washing machine ran only when they were down to their last remaining clean clothes. Mulder had recently been the one keeping on top of home maintenance. It made a change.

"You look tired" She said to him, before he had a chance to get a word in.

"You even more so" Mulder sunk onto the end of the bed watching Scully try desperately to console their screaming child.

"You giving your Mom a hard time, buddy?"

"He's not been the most cooperative today…" She looked about ready to burst into tears herself.

"Here" Mulder held out his arms, "Let me take him for a while"

"You just literally got back in"

"Yeah, well, I was thinking of staying up a little longer"

Mulder hoisted the thrashing infant into arms. Before leaving he placed a gentle kiss onto her forehead as she snuggled deep under the covers.

"Let's leave your Ma in peace for a little while, shall we, kiddo?" Mulder tossed the dribble-ridden blanket over his shoulder and closed the door softly behind.

….

Dawn was breaking when she finally rose. Groggily, she stretched the length of their king-size bed, enjoying the brief solitude she was rarely allowed nowadays. Despite the harsh lifestyle change, she'd have never given it up for the world. This family of hers, which she and Mulder together had created was the single most rewarding article in her entire life.

She padded downstairs in nothing more than the thin t-shirt of Mulders, contemplating the absence of sound from neither partner nor son.

"Mulder?" She called out sleepily into the darkness.

She eased the living room door open to find Mulder sound asleep on the coach with their son snoozing contently on his chest. Mulder's hand was wrapped around Williams's small frame, with his other tucked leaning behind his head.

She smiled to herself. For some strange reason, she knew deep down that they would never have a traditional family life together. They'd likely never attend parents meetings, never have family BBQ's with the neighbours, or cheer in the stands when William hit his first home run. It terrified her feeling the absence of a future together and not fully understanding why. But above all the bizarre feelings of impending heartache, what mattered to her was right here, right now; that her happy and healthy baby boy was fast asleep tucked up with her everlasting soul mate. If she could have lived in the moment for the rest of her life she would have done.


	2. Chapter 2

William was rolled tight in a ball on the hard, cold floor of the medical bay. His hands clasped tight over his ears as the splitting ringing resonated through every bone in his body. Through streaming eyes he could sense the others around him, also on their knees and crying out in pain at the blistering sound.

Unfamiliar voices echoed around him, immersed in the high-pitched blare. They were far beyond understanding, a language like no other he'd ever experienced. They spoke only for a moment, before fading along with the harsh resonating. As the sound dissipated, the people noticeably relaxed, lying still on the ground of which they'd fallen, catching their breath and recovering.

William turned onto his front, lifting his weight up with his hands. There were droplets of blood on the surface beneath him and he quickly realised it had trickled from both ears. Everyone else appeared to be in a similar state as they considered one another in confusion, mopping their faces of crimson.

The ground beneath them shifted a final time and the power blew plunging everyone and everything into total darkness. William held his breath as terrified screams filled the corridor. He stood still on his hands and knees wondering what on earth was happening.

There was a rumble as the emergency back up generator kicked into action. The lighting above them flickered awake as people began to guardedly rise to their feet.

"Is everyone okay?" Doggett's strong voice resonated down the hall.

There were minimal grunts of responses as everyone picked themselves up, and he immediately started barking orders, ushering staff to the main deck.

William stumbled down the corridor to his father's room. Inside, the doctors and medical staff had taken a step away from the table looking hopelessly at the dead man before them on the gurney. All bar Scully who was feverishly doing chest compressions.

"Agent Scully…" One doctor began sympathetically.

Scully ignored him; she wasn't about to give up on her partner, she hadn't done in the twenty plus years they'd worked together and she wasn't going to start now.

"Help me, damn it!" She ordered, pounding harder onto her partner's blooded chest.

"Dana, stop." It was Walter who'd gently taken a hold of her shoulders, "He's gone, Dana…"

"I've seen him die and come back to life. You have too; you were there. You of all people shouldn't be giving up on him!" Scully turned.

William watched as his mother broke down over his father. Her head buried into his chest as she sobbed deeply.

"Mulder, don't you dare leave me! Not here, not now…" She spoke through tears.

The doctors and nurses left the room quietly, allowing the family to mourn. Skinner looked himself like he was about to break as he tried desperately to comfort the overwhelmed woman before him. At that moment William realised the friendships that had been built in the years of his parents working together. They'd affected one another profoundly, but also influenced those they'd worked alongside. Losing Mulder would mean losing a lover, a father, and a best friend to the people stood surrounding him.

As each doctor past him, William saw the intentional lack of eye contact. No one would look at him. They either didn't know what to say or blamed him for what had happened. William felt sick to his stomach.

The final doctor paused before passing, "I'm sorry about your Dad" He said with an awkward pat on the back.

William refused to believe it. This wasn't happening. 'I'm sorry about your Dad'? It couldn't be true. He marched into the room.

"Dana, fix him" The words were out of his mouth before he'd even processed them.

She shook her head, "…I can't…"

"Mom, there has to be something you can do…"

She rubbed Mulder's arm with her thumb, as though merely willing him back to life had some merit to working.

"He's gone, William" Walter said inaudibly.

William stood bolted to the ground waiting for one of the adults before him to take control of the situation. On realising they had nothing to more to contribute to the matter, he shakily laid a hand onto his father's chest, "Dad…" He stuttered, "I need you…"

As his hand made contact he felt an incredible force like no other. A spirit swirling deep within him lying dormant had risen to the surface of his skin. It gave him butterflies in his stomach as it rushed through his veins, continuing down his arm and concentrating through the touch of his fingertips. For the first time in his life, William felt power inside of him. A power that defied all natural sciences, physics and reality, as he knew it. It was unpredictable, unruly, but instinct told him it was meant for good.

Scully and Walter watched him, stunned as wisps of light danced along his arm. William knew what he had to do. He placed both his palms flat on Mulder's bare skin and let the energy run through him and into his lifeless father. It made no sense. It was closer to a dream sequence than reality, but nevertheless it was working.

Mulder lay still, comatose and unresponsive. William pleaded his touch would wake him, give him that one breath of air or one beat of his heart he desperately needed to come back to the land of the living. His father was stuck in purgatory. Not alive, nor dead, but rather touching the void in between the two worlds. He could feel it.

William became aware of the questioning eyes of Walter and his mother on him. He wasn't sure what he was doing or if it would even work but William knew something they did not; he knew Mulder was reachable still.

The heart monitor blipped, so slight that no one was sure if it wasn't just an error reading. Again, it sounded and this time there was more certainty. Mulder inhaled a laboured breath as his head rolled to the side. He was alive, barely. It was enough to trigger Scully to holler back her medical team, whom immediately returned to the scene.

William broke the contact. His palms burning with a sensation somewhere in between pulsing heat and ice burn, totally unfamiliar to anything he'd sensed before. As he lowered his arms a rush of nausea passed over him and he felt for a moment totally drained of energy. Skinner caught him, easing him into a nearby chair. Through blurred vision, William watched his mother feverishly work to suture and repair Mulder. She glanced only momentarily at him before returning her focus to Mulder, but it was a look riddled with astonishment and concern. She was scared of her son and what he was capable of. William was scared himself.


	3. Chapter 3

William drifted in and out of consciousness, each time grasping a better hold of his surroundings. It was noticeably calm after the pandemonium of the past few hours, though he had no real concept of the time that had passed.

Rubbing his eyes, he pulled back the fleecy sheets of the hospital bed. He'd been changed into a hospital gown but had no recollection of when or how. At least he still had his boxers on.

He was in his own private room from what he could gather; there was a bedside lamp dimly lit but enough to show him the set up. Will winced as his head twinge in complaint, he could feel the roughness of stitches and soon recalled it was from the attack back in the crevasse.

Apprehensively he dangled his legs over the bedside, hoping they'd remember how to work and not just let him collapse in a heap on the floor. They supported him, thank god. Now to find his parents and brother, and make sure Doggett was on the case for finding Rachel.

Hastily, he searched for his clothes; he had to at least try to keep whatever dignity he had left. They were piled haphazardly on the side. He glanced at the door briefly before pulling the loose tie on his hospital gown and letting it slide down his arms.

The corridors were empty and the lighting sporadic. He'd lost his watch but assumed it must be some time in the early hours of the morning. William turned right headed for the room his brother had been residing in.

"Excuse me" A nurse appeared in one of the doorframes, "You're not supposed to be up without having first been signed off by a doctor"

"I'm fine" William argued, "I need to check on my brother, and see my father"

The woman's facial expression changed dramatically.

"What?" William asked, now very worried.

"Your brother is no longer here"

"You mean they moved him?"

"No… he disappeared"

"People don't just disappear" William stopped in his tracks, feeling himself getting annoyed at the nurse.

"When there was an electrical disturbance and it blew the system everything went dark, when the power came back on he was gone, vanished from the bed without a trace"

"That doesn't make any sense"

William ignored the woman, pacing the corridor until he was stood outside the biohazard set up. Through the glass he could see the body of a man, presumably the person who'd been infected in the breach, but no sign of Alex.

"I want to see the CCTV footage" William ordered.

"It's been checked, it shows absolutely nothing"

"Then I want to see Agent Scully, and Muld-" He remembered his father dying, and how he'd saved him, "-Mulder, my father, is he alright?"

"I'll take you to your Dad if you'll just calm down" The woman offered, treating him mildly like a child.

He was acting irrational, but the situation warranted it. Nothing made any sense.

The nurse led him to a different room from the one he'd first been in when they'd been working on Mulder. They stood outside the door, her hand hovering over the handle.

"I must warn you, your father is not in great shape. It's pretty touch and go at the moment. We induced a coma to give his body time to focus just on the essential organs-"

William didn't have time for the details; he just needed to see that he was there and not in a morgue. He made to push the door himself just as the woman opened it for him.

Mulder was hooked up to every machine imaginable. Wires and tubes connecting him in a tangled mess that just happened to be keeping him alive. A breathing tube was taped in place and he watched as his father's chest rose and fell with each artificial breath. His arms were jammed with IV lines delivering transfusions and saline drips, and his abdomen was wrapped with bandages, the blood already beginning to seep through.

William sensed the nurse watching him.

"Can I umm, have some time alone with him… please?"

The nurse nodded and closed the door gently behind her.

William crossed his arms and bit his fingernails, pacing the room slightly. He stopped in front of his father, leaning over him.

"I believe you can hear me… hear my voice" He began, "Thank you for coming after us, if you hadn't found us we'd have had no chance out there with those things…"

William cleared his throat, getting to the point quickly, time wasn't in their favour, "I can't find my brother, Alex, and I don't know what's happened to him. But I know you'd have a good idea of where he's gone, where he's been taken. You're the only one in this place that would. Rachel is there too, right?"

It was a one sided conversation, but William found a strange comfort in talking it through with him.

"How do I find them? How do I get to this place?"

His father lay still. The heart monitors bleeping steadily.

William sighed; he knew it was no use. He didn't like to admit it, but this was a pursuit made for him and him alone.

He squeezed his fathers hand gently, "I'll be back" He lied, knowing full well that this was the last time he'd see him in a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

Peering out of his father's hospital room, William made sure the coast was clear before making a swift getaway from the medical bay. He didn't want to deal with the nurse trying to argue him out of leaving before being 'properly discharged'.

He'd mislaid his ID wristband but it didn't seem to matter, the security pads had been overridden to allow people to move freely through the complex. Curious, William thought. All the more of a concern was where Doggett had shepherded the residents after the power blew. It seemed an attack was being launched. Perhaps he was in the middle of a warzone without even realising?

"Hey, kid" A man hollered at him from down the corridor, "What are you doing? The seminar is in five and they want everyone there, no exceptions"

The man rounded him up, ushering him to the second floor, "Come on, lets go, lets go"

"I'm looking for Agent Scully" William asked, unsure of what was going on.

"She'll be there, they all will"

"It's important I see her right now"

William noticed the faint remnants of dried blood on the man's cheek. The entire base must have been affected by the bizarre ringing.

"Kid, I got told to round up the stragglers, that's what I'm doing" He pushed open the large doors to the canteen with a knee and shoved William inside.

The hall was full of people, most sitting but some standing, meandering in the sidelines. Chatter was erupting, echoing off the walls. William stood awkwardly for a moment before taking a spare seat at the closest table.

"Okay folks, calm down, lets have some quite so we can get down to business"

It was the voice of John Doggett. As he spoke silence washed over the people as they listened intently.

"Apologies for the venue, this is the best we could do given the current situation. So…"

Doggett cleared his throat, and waited for the projector screen to kick in.

"…I realise a lot of you are confused, and scared. Firstly, as you're all already aware, the medical bay will be open to deal with any injuries caused by the tremor, and any ear related issues. I know you've all been asking what it was that happened, all we can tell you is that it was not an earthquake and it was not natural. We believe the crafts caused it as they passed over us, we are yet to confirm how"

The projector screen shone a display against the back wall of the canteen, a satellite image of the United States.

"Our radars are detecting no sign of the crafts in our immediate area, but there have, however been reports coming in of sightings over the North East coast of the US. We've received reports of more cases of this widespread pandemic. It's concentrating in pockets of towns and cities. There's yet to be a cure but local medical facilities have found ways of slowing the virus. We received the first figures of casualties caused by the virus and the numbers are quite frankly…alarming"

Doggett scratched his beard and sighed. He'd always known this day would come but somehow wished it could be postponed. They were nowhere near ready for this.

"This is what we've been working for, working to prevent, and sadly we are not as prepared as we would like to be. But we will do our best to fight it with the research we've done, the resources we have, and the understanding we hold of this apocalyptic force"

William caught sight of his mother. Her red hair standing out against the stands where she was sat amongst other concerned looking individuals.

"We need people on the ground. People to take control of the situation and help organise relief efforts to the areas affected. It will be risky, dangerous and potentially life threatening merely leaving this place. Therefore, we have decided by anonymous vote that no one under the age of seventeen will be allowed to leave the base unless given consent by a parent or legal guardian. This facility will remain functioning. A select few will remain behind to continue research and keep the base operational. For the rest of you, we have a number of propeller planes coming in from the mainland. These will take you to an area just outside of DC where you will be co-ordinated further. Remember this is optional, those that are willing to go and help fight will be supported entirely, but the risks stand as they do with any war. No one will be judged for staying behind"

Residents looked around at one another, trying to decide who would stay and who would fight, or rather who would die and who would die at a slightly later date. There was little in the way of hope.

"The planes will be arriving in just under an hour. I suggest you pack only the bare essentials. God speed to all of you…"

People rose from their seats and began discussing loudly with one another. William jumped to attention, keen to catch his mother before she disappeared out of view. He climbed on top of the stool and spotted her red head bobbing in the distance making to follow Doggett from the hall.

William ducked and dived through the crowds.

"Mom" He yelled, when there were only a few people separating them.

She turned, looking startled when he finally burst through the remaining people to reach her.

"Mom, I found you"

"They let you out of the infirmary already?" She queried, checking the stitching on his forehead.

"Umm, yeah" He brushed her hand away, "I'm fine. They took Alex, and Rachel is still out there"

Scully pulled her son to one side to evade the mass of people trying to pile through the single exit.

"They've not sent any one to find them, have they?" William asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, they haven't"

"And they're not going to either?" He pressed.

"William, you have to understand the magnitude of the situation…"

"I do, I do, I know what's happening, and I realise they can't afford to spend all their time and resources on just two people, but _you_ have to understand that this is my brother. I can't leave him"

Scully shook her head slowly, "The ships have left the area, William, they could be anywhere in the world by now. It would be like trying to find a needle in a hay stack…"

William stood in silence, wondering what it was he was trying to prove or even hope for.

"Your test results came back…" She began, trying to change the subject.

"Of course, my blood, you can use my blood to cure people" He'd completely forgotten about the tests until now, "The alien DNA trace you were talking about, you found it, right?"

Scully made a face, "William, your test came back negative. You're a perfectly ordinary fifteen year old boy, completely alien-free"

His heart sunk, his last hope of being some use in this whole mess. He felt completely useless.

"William, I need to know… how did you save Mulder, what did you do to him?"

Will scrunched up his face. He didn't have the answer, he didn't know himself. It was a fluke, an accidental miracle.

"I was hoping you could tell me. You're supposed to be the sceptic out of you and Dad, right?"

She smiled, "After all these years, I think your father is beginning to wear some of his 'believer' tendencies off on me. I've seen too much to not believe"

"You're staying here, aren't you? To work on the cure and to keep an eye on Mulder" Will asked.

She nodded, "I'm more use in the labs here than I am on the battlefield"

William pondered for a moment, "I have to go…" He finally spoke.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I have to get back to the mainland. I'm going to find Alex and Rachel, and then help win this war." He'd decided upon the senseless idea and he was dead set on following it through.

"No" Was as much as Scully could fathom, "I mean, you'd be flying to your death. You have no proper training, likely no immunity to the virus. I can't let you, I'm sorry"

"So I'm supposed to sit around here twiddling my thumbs and hoping it'll all just blow over?"

"I'm not arguing with you William"

They were defiantly arguing. She'd spent years trying talk Mulder out of crazy ideas and it had gotten her nowhere. Now here she was having the exact same argument with her boy. He was without a doubt his father's son.

"Is that it then?" He asked in a bitter tone that he'd rarely heard himself use before.

"I'm not going to lose you."

They were both on edge, desperate for the other to cave. It wasn't going to happen. Unfortunately William had inherited his mother's stubbornness.

"Fine" He finally ended.

Without another word, he turned his back on her and made for the exit. He heard her calling after him but refused to acknowledge it. He only had an hour to make one of those planes, now he'd have to blag his way on one without consent.


	5. Chapter 5

William slammed the port lock door of his and Alex's bedroom. Frustrated, he kicked the locker and watched as the door fell open spilling an entire deck of Uno cards onto the floor. He stopped, fighting back tears as his eyes darted towards Alex's empty bed. He'd lost his little brother, and was helpless to regaining him.

Will threw on a fresh pair of clothes before leaving the bedroom for good. He had to find Doggett, but first he had to ensure he'd be sorted when he reached DC. He swung past Mulder's room, half expecting the door to be locked. It creaked open on command revealing a cramped space, even smaller than his and Alex's.

Mulder had to have bought a wallet with him. Not that money had much value on site, but he'd have had it in a pocket on the flight over, surely? William rummaged through draws and personal effects. There wasn't much to search and the leather wallet made a speedy appearance in the bedside drawer. Will pocketed it, wandering if dollars would even hold value by the time he reached the states.

Doggett was a hard man to find. By the time he'd caught up with him the planes were due to depart in ten minutes.

"Doggett!" Will yelled, out of breath as he reached him.

"William, what is it, what's wrong?"

"I need you to waiver the consent required for minors"

Doggett had seen this coming; he shook his head, his hands taken up with files.

"William, I can't just make allowances like that. Besides, your mother would kill me if I went against her"

"It's a matter of life and death" Will protested.

"Exactly" Doggett pointed out, "It's not my decision to make, I'm sorry"

That was it, the end of the conversation. Doggett had places to be and things to organise.

William considered his options. One of the planes had already departed; he'd watched it take off through one of the porthole windows on the higher deck as he left Mulder's. There wasn't much time.

He took the stairs at least three at a time and practically threw himself at the steel hangar door. As he burst through the bitter chill in the air took his breath away. Before him, a second plane rumbled along the makeshift runway and set off. His options were dwindling.

There was a plane boarding its last remaining passengers. Will climbed the door ladder until he came face to face with a man in a thick arctic jacket, leaning out of the entrance and taking names.

"Name" He said, pen in hand and eyeballing the boy before him, clearly sceptical of his age.

"I'm already on there" William smiled.

The man raised an eyebrow and studied his chart.

"Look" William pulled the clipboard down so he could read it; he quickly scanned the names until he found one.

"Rupert Sarrick, 17 years old. I forgot my hat, had to run back for it"

The man looked him up and down suspiciously.

"Stan, come on, lets wrap it up, we need to get going" The pilot called from the cockpit, momentarily distracting his attention.

William promptly ducked passed the man with the clipboard and disappeared into the background of people settling themselves into seats. He held his breath, it would either work and he'd be DC bound, or he'd be collared and thrown off the plane with stern words.

The clipboard man looked thoroughly confused but the pilot's protests soon got him lifting up the door ladders and securing everything ready for flight.

"Buckle up, folks, this could be a bumpy one" The pilot came over the speaker.

It wasn't the same crazy guy that had flown them in, but this guy did appear to have an edge about him. Perhaps this line of work called for an air of insanity.

William sunk into a moth bitten seat; surprised he'd managed to pull it off at all. Dawn was breaking, the sun cascading over the snow scape sending beautiful patterns of pink dancing with the topography. The place had grown on him in the short time he had been there.

He imagined his parents inside, his father fighting for his life, whilst his mother worked feverishly to find a cure to save mankind. Who'd have thought that his biological parents were so… he couldn't find a word for it… 'Out there'. He realised suddenly that in his entire childhood he'd never even pictured what his real parents could have been like. He never really needed to.

The propellers kicked into action and the light craft began to rumble with the movement. William pressed his head against the small, filthy window. He sincerely hoped he'd see them again some day.

As the plane bumped its way along the runway following the one that had just taken off ahead of it, William took a final look at the Arctic home.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure burst through the hangar doors. She stood with her red hair blowing wildly against the wind, shaking in just her thin green top. She found him instantly, looking out of his tiny window. Their eyes met, her expression wounded as the haggard aircraft lifted into the sky taking her son with it as it went. William placed his hand on the foggy window.

'Goodbye' He thought but didn't say.


	6. Chapter 6

The journey was a silent one. Though William had been asleep for the majority of the flight, the times that he were awake were still and cold. Everyone was left alone to their thoughts, either dreaming of their loved ones or contemplating their existence, or soon to be lack of. Colonisation had indeed begun, and humanities days were limited.

Will scrunched his hoodie into a pillow and shoved it against the armrest to fall back to sleep on. His eyes were drifting back into slumber as the man beside him pulled out a frayed photograph and studied it earnestly through thick-rimmed glasses. William tried not to make it too obvious that he was watching him.

"Is that your family?" Another man across the isle asked curiously.

The man with glasses was caught off guard, unsure whether to engage in conversation.

"Yes, this… this is my son, Thomas" He handed the photograph to the man across from him, "He's ten, well, in two days he will be…"

"Cute kid, he looks like you" He said passing the photograph back.

"He looks even more like his mother" The glasses man smiled, quickly fading into sadness, "…she's umm, she's not doing too well at the moment. I got a message through that she got sick a couple of days ago…"

"I'm sorry about your wife"

"Ex-wife. She, umm, she lives with another fella now. My working away all the time; I guess it stopped working so well for her…" Glasses man sighed, "I still love her, and Thomas of course…" He tucked the photograph back into his jacket pocket. "We have this great image of the men we want to be, the husbands, the fathers we want our children to see us as. Then somewhere along the line it all gets lost and forgotten, swallowed up by the harsh realities of life. Work, bills, pension plans… it's so easy to lose sight of the things that really matter, and by that point it's too late, your wife is in bed with another man, and your son doesn't want to know you anymore…"

Between them, the men fell momentarily silent.

Glasses man cleared his throat, "I can't change the mistakes I made with my family, but I can try and regain a remnant of respect from my son by fighting my part in this war. What future will he have… what future will any of us have if we are to fall?"

William was wide-awake now, listening in on the conversation he didn't want to be a part of. He unclipped the metal buckle and excused his way past both men, wandered up and down the plane to stretch his legs. This one was a lot bigger than the one they'd flown out on. Will fought his way to the back of the aircraft to the cramped cabin toilet. The words 'out of service' spray painted onto the lid made him question what on earth the plane had been used for before transporting field workers in and out of the Arctic.

On his way back to his seat, Will caught a glimpse of a man he recognised. It was Rachel's father, sat in a window seat with the entire row to himself. Through the dim overhead lighting, William detected the gentle sobbing he was trying to hide. For a moment William considered ducking out of view. He was ashamed of what happened in the crevasse. Had the thought faster or acted quicker perhaps Rachel's fate may be a little different. If things had not played out as they did, Rachel and her father could still be together through these dark times.

William bit the bullet. He plonked himself into the seat next to Rachel's father, well aware that the man may turn around at any minute and tell him promptly to 'piss off'.

"Sir…?" William began.

Rachel's father jumped a little before wiping his eyes and composing himself.

"You're William, aren't you? Rachel's friend, I remember you…"

"Yes Sir"

"You were out there with her when she…" He couldn't finish his sentence.

William felt a lump growing in his throat, "Yes, I was with her…" He prepared himself for the guilt trip to come.

"I want to thank you, for being there with my Rachel. You seem like a sensible lad, I'm sure you would have tried to talk some sense into her… You see, my daughter is a kindred spirit, a well meaning soul, but she also has a tendency to be rather, well, reckless…just like her mother"

William wasn't expecting a thank you for losing the man's daughter. Nevertheless, it spun a different look on the situation.

Listening to him talk about Rachel in such a way was saddening. William missed Alex, but he missed Rachel as well. She'd been there for him from day one, ever since they'd arrived bewildered on base. She was a ticking time bomb of disaster, but most importantly she was a true friend.

"So your parents let you leave the base and come out here?" Rachel's father probed.

"Umm, not exactly…"

"They don't know you're here?"

"They know, but they're not exactly happy about it… I came against their will"

"I see" The man scratched his stubbly beard, "What are you hoping to find back in the real world?"

"Find?" William asked confused, "I guess I'm trying to find my brother… and your daughter…"

The man nodded in understanding, "Do you believe you can find them?"

"I don't know what to believe… but I know I have to try"

William pondered for a moment what it really was he was trying to prove. Trying to prove to his parents, trying to prove to himself, he wasn't entirely sure. He worried he'd made a terrible mistake, that finding his brother and his friend would be futile, that he was walking right into his own death, and that his best bet would have been to stay back in the Arctic with his mother and father and live the remaining days they had left on the planet with family.

"They said you were supposed to be some saviour. The son of the infamous Mulder and Scully who'd foreseen judgement day; a miracle child who'd bring us hope, who'd have 'abilities' to rise up and fight our corner" Rachel's father illustrated, watching, waiting for some kind of conformation on his part.

"I'm sorry to disappoint "William felt guilty for not living up to such a title, "… but I'm afraid I'm just a normal, plain old human. They thought that I was part alien, that I had the DNA inside of me, but it turns out I'm not what they'd hoped for. I'm just… ordinary"

"Extraordinary things often come from the most ordinary of people" The man smiled.

The plane hit a pocket of turbulence, as the lights of DC grew ever closer.


	7. Chapter 7

Scully stood outside in the Arctic wind until the plane was completely out of sight. The sun had now disappeared below the horizon and darkness was creeping slowly over the snowy land. The wind howling, gyrating the complex was enough to finally draw her back inside the hangar. She pulled the heavy door closed behind her, realising only now how much she was shaking. Still, she was unsure whether induced by the cold or the sheer emotional turmoil she'd experienced in the last couple of weeks.

"Agent Scully, are you okay?" A resident stocktaking peered into the drying room to check on the noise.

Scully stood motionless, unsure of what to do with herself.

"Dr Scully…?"

"I'm fine" She responded, quickly snapping herself out of it.

"Maybe you should sit down?"

"No, I'm okay. I umm… I need to get back to work. I'll be in the lab…" She was marching down the hallway before she'd even finished the sentence.

Upstairs in the research bay, Scully was alone. The majority of the scientists and doctors had left to get the planes to the mainland in hopes they'd be better use on the ground. Scully was one of the few nominated to stay on site.

She bit her nails impulsively. She'd spent years working on a cure. First in New Mexico, then from the Lady of Sorrows hospital, eventually ending up here in the tiny lab with thirty other scientists all desperately clutching for answers that may lead them closer to developing a cure.

She'd failed in every respect. When it came to developing a vaccine, despite her best efforts she hadn't even gotten close. She'd failed Mulder, giving up on him when he flatlined on the hospital gurney. Most importantly, she'd failed her son. She failed William when she gave him up when he was just a baby; she failed him again when they were reunited only weeks ago and she couldn't bring herself to even talk to him. Now, she'd failed him a third and final time, when he asked her for her help to find his brother and she'd declined.

Her answer to it all, her one way of blocking out the guilt was to throw herself back into work, besides, the world needed a vaccine now more than ever. Humanity would crumble and fall without it. She had no time reserved for trivial things as self-pity or doubt.

Ever since they'd found the downed UFO under the ice, the scientists had been feverishly working with the DNA sample lifted from the site. Scully whipped on the latex and lab coat, ready to pick up where they'd left off.

Five hours later, when her legs were jelly and her body's protests for sleep were getting harder to ignore, the first serum was ready for testing. With careful precision she lifted the bacteria from the bioreactor, praying that the antigens would be present.

Scratching her weary eyes on her sleeve, she began separating and purifying the antigens using the HPCCC equipment. When the system was up and running as it should be, she set to work scribbling notes.

It was the bleeping sound of the computer monitor coming to life that finally woke her. The last time she'd fallen asleep like this, head sprawled on top of her notes at the desk, had been during exam week in her college days. She remembered because she'd been out at a house party the night before her finals. Scully frowned at her youthful self, wandering how she'd been so foolish and still managed to ace every test.

Peeling herself up from the desk, she flicked the monitor and rotated her wristwatch to get a better view of the time, hoping she'd not fallen asleep for too long. It was a useless notion, she'd lost track of when she'd even begun.

Scully rubbed her eyes, stretched, and made to check the chromatography machine. It hummed rhythmically in the background of the cold lab. She moved the mouse on the desktop to check the data, pausing and squinting at the screen. It couldn't be.

"God damn it" She breathed, checking and checking again.

The sample was no good, the test unsuccessful. She scrolled through the data again, hoping she'd misread it, but it was no use. The antigen was nowhere to be found, the sample completely unworkable.

"This can't be…" She reasoned with herself.

They'd used the most salvageable sample for this. The others they had in stores from the site had been much smaller, damaged even; she knew this was their best hope and it had been a total fiasco.

"Damn it!" She yelled, launching her paper notes across the room and kicking the office chair out of her way.

She paced the lab, trying to calm her rage and figure out what to try next. The weight of the world was quite literally on her shoulders depending on her, and she'd failed.

The door eked ajar, a lab assistant stood awkwardly in the frame.

"Doctor Scully, sorry to disturb you but your partner, Agent Mulder is awake. He was fighting the breathing tube so they extubated him"

Scully quickly composed herself, looking a little embarrassed, "I'll be right there"

The assistant nodded and closed the door behind him.

She took a final look at the mess she'd just created, and locked the remaining samples away before heading to the medical bay. How on earth was she going to tell Mulder that there son had boarded one of the planes out? Knowing him, he'd try and go straight after him. He'd walk to DC if he had to if it meant getting their boy back safe.


	8. Chapter 8

The plane touched down in DC at the domestic airport. It was only as the wheels screeched to a halt along the tarmac that William began to consider what his genius plan would entail. The true fact of the matter was that he had no idea of his next move.

Dawn was breaking, the sun rising fast, and below them on the tarmac military personal were organising paperwork, getting ready to direct the residents of the Arctic base. William felt a hot flush wash over him. He'd surely be found out as they signed people into the system, and fake names would get him nowhere.

A military officer boarded the plane.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please like to follow our personnel out of the aircraft and into the main building where we will begin registration and reassignment to the areas best suited to your skillset. You will be briefed and dispatched to locations in close proximity to DC where we have refugee camps and makeshift medical centres for dealing with the sick…"

William sunk lower into his seat, trying to think quickly.

"…We would like to thank you in advance for your co-operation and patience. Please disembark from the front of the craft in an orderly fashion and ensure you have all your personal effects with you"

The isles came alive with people reaching under their seats and in the overhead compartments gathering their belongings. Will tossed his scrunched up hoodie over his head and squeezed in amongst the commotion of people all making their way towards the single exit.

Outside, they marched single file across the runway towards a large building. Military personnel were stationed every few meters apart ushering residents in the right direction. There were guns, so many guns. Every officer held a shotgun in hand as though waiting for something, someone to come.

Will kept his head low, trying to divert any unwanted attention. He scanned the area, trying to find a scape route, anything that would allow him a hasty and unnoticed withdrawal from the group. He passed a police dog and handler and wondered briefly how he would outrun the Alsatian if the situation were to call for it.

"Keep moving, please keep the line moving" An officer repeated over and over.

The radio's cracked on the belt buckles of the military officers, the voice of a man came blaring through.

"We have an emergency situation…" The radio hissed, "…The air traffic controller just collapsed in the tower. I repeat; this is an emergency situation…"

There was a thundering boom of aircraft jets hovering above them. It was enough to turn the heads of every person below. Another jet stretched into view making its way towards them.

"Oh my god…" The officer breathed. The jet pulled up at the last minute as it skimmed the surface of the plane beneath it, missing it just barely, "Everyone off the runway, now!"

The jet swerved off course plummeting to the ground at high speed with an almighty explosion. There were screams as most ran for their lives, some throwing themselves to the floor and covering their heads as the blaze radiated towards them.

It took a moment for Will to realise he was on the hard tarmac surface. He uncovered his face and coughed against the smoke, as he lay propping himself up on his elbows. The debris had missed him but others were not so lucky. The blaze roaring before them, boasting its intense bright heat reflected in William's eyes.

He was afraid. Humanity was afraid.

As the military men set to work clearing the runway of people, William took his chance. He fought his way to his feet, first stumbling out of sight and then breaking into a run, making his way towards the wire fences. A final look behind him confirmed that no one was on his tail they were all otherwise preoccupied. He kicked at the bottom of the fence until a section peeled away, fraying upwards. As soon as he had worked at it enough to get his head under, he wriggled his way through to the other side.

Will sat, panting on the other side of the fence taking in the bombsite landscape before him. The fire was dying down. He hated to think of the pilot and the passengers that had been inside.

….

Mulder fought to stay awake. His body begged desperately for rest but he would not allow it, not until he knew that Scully and William were safe and well. The blurry images grew into focus only briefly before his vision went dark once more. He repeated the progression a few more times until his eyes were strong enough to stay open.

He'd gotten concerned by how frequently he'd woken up in hospital beds, completely unaware of the time that had passed and at a loss as to why he were there in the first place.

"Mulder…" The voice was soft, recognisable, it was home, "Mulder, can you hear me, partner?"

He turned his head, slowly until he could see her, his redheaded G-woman.

"How're you doing?" The faintest of smiles crossed her face.

"Thirsty" He croaked, surprised at his own words.

She adjusted the pillows and handed him a cup of water, of which he promptly knocked all over himself with clumsy hands.

"Easy" She murmured, taking it off of him and helping him with a fresh cup.

"William?" He mouthed, needing to know that his efforts in keeping their son alive had prevailed.

Scully's expression was a worrying one, "He… he went looking for Alex, and Rachel"

Mulder continued his blank expression.

"…And, I don't know where he's going, only that it's bound to be right into the firing line…" She was holding back tears now, praying that the father of her child would not judge her so harshly for losing their son.

Mulder took her hand in his, the IV rubbing against his skin as he did. He knew she needed him now. They needed one another. They'd always relied on each other, and nothing had changed in that sense.

"He's going to be okay" Mulder calmed, "I know because you are his mother, he's got your blood, and that makes him stronger than any of us"

….

William had surprised himself with his ability to hitch lifts all the way to Virginia. He'd arrived just before nightfall in the town he'd grown up in.

"This is as close as I can get ya, kid" The pick-up driver nudged him awake.

"Thanks, I really appreciate the ride" William said, slamming the truck door closed behind him.

"He, kid… just watch yourself okay, there's been a lot of crazy stuff going on recently"

William nodded, "I will"

"Alright" The driver turned the engine over and pulled away, leaving William alone in the darkened street.

With his hood pulled up over his head trying to block out the cool night air he paced the sidewalk, each step bringing him closer to familiarity, passing friends houses, even the school, until he arrived outside of the house he'd known as home for fifteen years.

Police tape decorated the front lawn like streamers. William found himself stood outside staring blankly at the house before him. In the darkness, and with the yellow tape catching the moonlight the place looked totally foreign.

He tried the door; locked of course. He tried the back door; still nothing. Will shifted the stone toadstool tucked in the back garden to reveal a spare door key. Only he, Alex and his parents had known about it. William was half surprised to find it, still there, just as it always had been hidden, as though nothing had changed. As far as that little silver key was concerned, life was as it always had been.

The key clicked the backdoor open and William entered gingerly. The house was deathly cold, deathly quiet. The light switches flicked under his finger but there was no electricity to power them on. Instead, William pulled a small flashlight from the side drawer, twisting it on as he did. He shone the beam across the floor to the spot his mother had lay only weeks before. Her body had vanished, along with it the evidence. He shone the light into the kitchen. His father's body had been taken also.

William stood in the doorway wondering what he was supposed to do. The kitchen clock read 01:12 and William decided it was best to hunker down for the night. There was little more he could do now anyway. He tiptoed up the stairs shining the flashlight ahead and holding his breath.

The house was empty but the fear was certainly present.


	9. Chapter 9

The daylight shone through the broken blinds of the rundown motel. Mulder was the first to wake, blinking awkwardly through the dust-filled room. They couldn't have picked a crappier motel, but right now they had to lay low. Only days ago had they been running for their lives in the desert being chased by black helicopters. It was the story of their life now.

Mulder propped himself up on his pillow. As crappy motel beds go, this had been fairly high up on the list. He studied the beautiful woman sleeping soundly beside him, the sun lighting her small frame in the most flattering of ways. He caressed her back, her bare skin soft under his touch as he drew delicate circles. She stirred slightly, pulling the covers closer to her.

"What time is it?" She groaned.

"Early" he placed a gentle kiss on her head, "Go back to sleep…"

She didn't need telling twice.

Mulder rolled out of bed to relieve himself.

He peed with the bathroom door wide open, vaguely wondering at which point in time their relationship had reached a stage were such things were deemed acceptable. Then again, he was fairly certain their rules on personal space had lapsed long before they'd even considered a relationship that was anything other than FBI assigned partners.

He paced over to the window plastered in a thick layer of dust and peeked through the rusted blinds. It was a ghost town out there. Fitting, he thought to himself, that's what they were after all, 'ghosts'.

She didn't talk about him, in fact she avoided the subject like the plague, but Mulder knew that William was always on her mind. The fate of the world lay largely in their hands, but that didn't matter to Scully right now, all she cared about was that little infant she'd bought into the world. He was out there somewhere, living his life, loving and being loved back by his new adoptive parents. Mulder felt the ache in his heart, an emptiness that could not, and never would be filled.

She was suffering, more than he could ever know.

"What are you doing?" She asked from the cosy confines of the bed.

"Just watching" He replied without moving.

"Watching what?"

He wasn't entirely sure, himself.

"…The world, I guess"

"Oh"

"It's still there…" Mulder smiled, "…In all it's 'redneck-ville beauty"

The burned down gas station was a particularly nice touch.

He reached for his boxer shorts, discarded on the floor the previous evening.

"Don't…" She requested, "…I was enjoying the view"

He grinned like a schoolboy, swiftly climbing back into bed beside her and pulling her into a warm embrace.

For so long they'd been chasing monsters in the dark they'd never the time for simple pleasures. Now, they had all the time in the world and not a clue what to do with it.

"Mulder…" She began, his attention taken up by kissing her neck tenderly, "…If someone had said to me ten years ago that you and me would end up as fugitives together…"

"Mhmm" He acknowledged in between caresses.

"…I'd have probably believed them"

His line of kisses interrupted, he stopped momentarily to face her, "Are you suggesting, Scully, that I'm a bad influence?"

"The worst" She smiled, kissing his lips softly.

….

William jolted awake, panting at the bad dream he'd just escaped. He was met with the familiarity of his old bedroom, the walls plastered in posters of bands and the floor littered with video games. He'd not even attempted to climb under the sheets, rather sprawl on top of them where he fell immediately asleep.

He reached blindly for the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was morning; he'd even slept in a little. Dangling his feet over the side of the bed he managed to tread on an x-box controller and math textbook before he'd even made it out of the room. He admitted his bedroom was not always the tidiest, but had his mother really let him get his room to this much of a pigsty?

The sunlight seeping in through the thin curtains revealed a far worse state. The men that had killed his parents; they must have searched his room in the process. Either that or the cops had done a fairly haphazard job of collecting evidence.

As he headed down the stairway it was only now that he could fully see the extent of the damage. Air looms had been trashed, and the family portrait that once hung proudly above the stairs was smashed to pieces. William carefully removed the photograph from the broken frame. Alex's face smiled back at him, his two front teeth gappy and still growing. His mother had thought it an adorable look. William, of course had taken the opportunity to tease him light heartedly.

He pocketed the photograph, stuffing his cell phone and Mulder's wallet along with it. The street below him was calm, certainly calm for a Saturday. Usually the cul-de-sac would be filled with kids riding bikes and neighbours mowing lawns. Today, however, the streets were silent.

William wrestled his bike from the garage. After unsuccessfully wishing that a plan would spontaneously reveal itself to him, he decided the next best approach would be to find his old school friends. He'd assess the severity of the outbreak, see if he could do anything to help, and hopefully gain some insight into the colonist's movements. At least it would lead him closer to Alex and Rachel. How he intended to get them back once he had found them was a whole other matter.


	10. Chapter 10

The lab was a lonely place as Scully threw herself back into work. She'd squirreled herself away in one of the smaller offices, determined not to become distracted by the presence of others. Back to square one with progress of the antivirus, time was running short. There had been reports coming in of higher numbers of infected areas. It was spreading, and fast.

Scully preferred to keep clear of such rumours. More deaths lay all the more heavily on her conscience and did no favours for her work.

She removed her glasses, laying them on the desk as she threw another pile of paperwork into the 'unhelpful' basket. Mulder had scavenged every x-file document related to the black oil, the colonists and the project they had on record. There had to be something that would stand out, something that she'd missed or overlooked; something that would help them to win the war and beat the virus.

She lay back in her chair taking in a deep breath. Her hand found its way to the cross on her neck. She fiddled with the small golden artefact that hung loose on its chain. It had been so long since she'd spoken to him. True to her customary form, she'd distanced herself from her faith when things had turned bad. It was her defence mechanism, her default when times got tough.

"Please" She whispered to the emptiness of the lab, "Give me a sign… anything that can help us"

She waited, praying for a response that would not come.

….

William cycled along the desolate streets. The front doors of a couple of the houses had large untidy crosses spray-painted in red. A small girl peered at him through the downstairs window in the big house on the corner. The girl had been in Alex's year at school, he'd remembered her from one of the birthday parties. She looked despondently from behind the silk curtains at him.

Will kept peddling as her eyes followed him the rest of the way down the street. He rolled over a page of the newspaper with his front wheel, the headline 'Outbreak of unknown origin' staring back at him.

As he pulled up towards the school gates he recognised the backpack of one of his friends loitering by the bus stop, the large yellow smiley face patch grinning at him from the other side of the road.

"Hey" He yelled swinging his leg off of the bike and rushing over.

Bobby jumped in shock, flicking the cigarette bud quickly onto the floor before turning around.

"Will?" He muttered in confusion, "Jesus, Will, they said you were dead, your whole family was bludgeoned to death…"

Bobby pulled him into a hug, "What the hell happened, man?"

"I took Alex and ran"

"Where have you been?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" Will shook his head, he barely believed it himself.

"But, why didn't you go to the cops?"

"It's a long story, one I wouldn't know how to begin to explain"

Bobby raised an eyebrow in bewilderment, "It probably wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've heard recently"

The skateboard rolled from under Bobby's legs. William's skateboard, as he recognised it.

Bobby looked mortified, "When you disappeared, you left it at my place, I was just…"

"Don't worry about it" Will dismissed. At least his trusty skateboard had been put to use in his absence.

"What's happening here?" Will asked, remembering the red marked front doors.

"People are getting sick, they don't know why" Bobby scooped up the board in a swift movement, "Come on, I'll show you…"

They passed through the school gates, as far in as the crowd control men would allow. Ambulances parked in lines side by side, and the entrance to the building had been draped with biohazard curtains. Cars were abandoned in the near vicinity, and military personnel patrolled the outskirts, ushering people into orderly fashions.

"They closed the school a couple of days ago" Bobby explained, "A refugee centre opened up in the town hall to deal with the sick but it got overwhelmed, that's when they took over the school gymnasium too"

Will shook his head in disbelief, "There's so many of them…"

There were at least a handful of infected people that Will recognised; school friends, local tradesmen, even teachers all queuing waiting to be seen to by a doctor that would be able to do nothing for them.

"My Mom is in there…" Bobby muttered under his breath, "She got sick yesterday. I told her to stay home, it doesn't seem these places can do much to help… but she didn't want to stay at the house… said she was worried she'd infect me and my sister"

Will felt overwhelmingly guilty, "I didn't… I didn't think it would spread so quickly. Half the town's got to be in there… I thought we'd have more time"

"You know what this is?" Bobby interrogated, pulling his beanie out of his eyes.

A security man approached them, "You boys sick?"

The two shook their heads in unison.

"Then get the hell outta here, less you want that to change, don't you know this thing is outta control!"

The boys obliged promptly, double stepping until they'd passed the school gates once more.

"Hold up" Bobby pulled his face in close to Will's, "You're telling me you know what this thing is? You know what's happening to these people; what caused it?"

Another ambulance sped past them, its sirens blaring as it went.

"Yes" Will nodded, "I know what's going on, but you're not going to like the truth…"

"I'm all ears, dude"

"Good. It still sounds crazy to me, so it's going to be insane for someone who wasn't there"

A deafening sounds encased them, causing both Bobby and Will to throw their hands over their ears. It was a brutal reminder of the chaos back at the base. They were close, the aliens, sinisterly watching their victims with a cruel pleasure as one by one humanity began to fall.


	11. Chapter 11

The office door eked open, catching Mulder off guard. Scully stood in the doorframe, lab coat and briefcase in hand looking decidedly hostile in stature. She tucked her thick winter jacket neatly under her arm, considering him with an air of annoyance.

"How long have you just been sitting here?" She asked casually.

"I haven't _just_ been sitting here" Mulder argued, "…as a matter of fact, I've been working"

Mulder was lying through his teeth and there was absolutely no convincing the woman before him. In the recent weeks he'd barely mustered enough vigour to pick up a case file. Now, he couldn't even fathom the energy to masturbate in his empty and prolonged days.

She studied him up and down.

"Have you showered today?" She questioned, placing her briefcase on the carpet.

It wasn't intended to be a criticism but it certainly felt that way in his current mental state.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"

"It's a simple question, Mulder"

He glared at her, wishing she'd leave him in peace to get on with his nothingness, "No, I haven't"

"Have you eaten anything?"

"I'm not hungry."

Unshaven and having not changed his shirt in three days must have been the immediate giveaway.

He turned his back on her, wandering why he was intent on acting like a total ass to her. He couldn't understand it himself, but years of psychological profiling lead to the single obvious fact that he was severely depressed. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the thick cloud of swirling despair had been following him for months and Scully's efforts to get him help had only proved to aggravate him further.

Scully folded her arms, "I've umm, I've booked you an appointment with the doctor next week… I really feel you ought to go"

"Oh for fuck sake!" He rolled his eyes, "I'm fine Scully. I just need you to get off my god damn back for once"

Scully stood for a moment, planning her next move, the anger slowly boiling over.

"You are _not_ fine, Mulder…and I am sick and tired of seeing you mope around this house"

He snapped, "You think it's easy for me? Seeing you going out to work every day, living your life. While I sit here, hiding away!"

"They cleared your charges"

"…And destroyed my work and my reputation in the process!" Mulder shook his head, "You have no idea…not a fucking clue what that feels like"

"Oh really? I think you're completely overlooking the fact that I worked all those years alongside you, Mulder. Your loss was just as much mine. Now, do me a favour and stop acting like a selfish child!"

Mulder couldn't have felt more cornered. He wanted to hug her; confess he was struggling and that he didn't understand why, that he needed her, but his stubbornness as usual got the better of him. He did the one thing he knew in such confrontations, his one safeguard fall back. He distanced her.

"You're really starting to piss me off" He sighed.

"Well that's good, because maybe then you might start to understand just a percentage of the shit I have to deal with from you on a daily basis"

"Fuck you." He snarled, storming out and slamming the door behind him.

He hated himself and he hated her, but more than ever he hated life and what it had done to him. His parents, his sister, his job and career, even his son had all been cruelly snatched away from him. If he believed in a god he'd be cursing him for his malice.

….

Agent Mulder counted the tiles on the medical bay ceiling for the ninth time in a row. The room was quiet and so was the hallway; his only link to reality the gently pattering of shoes against the laminated flooring as the nurses did their rounds.

Two doctors crossed paths outside his room, updating one another on news from the mainland. Whispering failed to hide the sheer scale of the epidemic; the fear in their expressions confirming the out of control and rising death tolls.

Mulder shifted uncomfortably, trying to remember why he was confined to a gurney on this particular occasion. He peeled the white sheets away from his chest and examined the dressing plastered across his side. The wound gave a twinge, warning him not to spring out of bed any time soon.

Regardless of the gaping hole in his back, Mulder refused to spend the remaining days before colonisation had completely taken over confined to a hospital bed.

"Nurse" He yelled into the darkness.

The young women scuttled into the room flicking on the bedside light as she went.

"I need to speak to Agent Scully, can you call her for me please?"

"I'm sorry, but Agent Scully asked not to be disturbed unless an absolute emergency" She smiled, fluffing up his pillow.

"Fine…" Mulder said hauling himself upright in bed.

"Sir, you haven't been discharged yet"

"That's fine, I'll come back after" He assured.

The nurse looked disconcerted, "Agent Scully advised to sedate you if necessary…"

"Oh she did, did she?"

Trust Scully to anticipate his lack of cooperation with the medical staff, "How quickly can you load a syringe?"

The nurse's threats appeared to be empty as she stood half-heartedly trying to usher him back into bed.

"Can you take this out of me please?" He waved the IV drip in her direction, "I'd really rather not have to do it myself"

Upstairs in the research block, Mulder had searched every inch of the laboratories. Needless to say the lack of residents was a little unnerving. The entire building was a ghost town with large sections of building completely absent of power.

Mulder leant his weight against the final lab room, careful to lean on his undamaged side. The door creaked open to reveal the small redheaded women seated in front of her computer screen, rubbing her tired eyes in protest.

She looked up, a little startled with his presence.

"Mulder" She began, placing her glasses on top of the stacks of paperwork.

He reached her before she had a chance to stand, wrapping an arm around her and planting a soft kiss on her head.

"Hey" He managed.

"What are you doing here, Mulder? Who discharged you this soon?"

She was looking for the doctor in question so she could make a point of kicking his ass.

"I discharged myself, so to speak. I had to see you, needed to talk about something…"

"Oh" Scully raised an eyebrow, "What exactly did you want to talk about?"

She'd helped herself to his dressing, lifting his shirt out of the way to get a better view of the stitching underneath.

Mulder held her wrists pulling her away, and sitting in the office chair beside her, gesturing his need for her undivided attention.

"Scully, I-" He wasn't entirely sure where he was going with this, "I never apologised for what happened between us, all those years back. A lot of things were said… things that I didn't mean"

She didn't want to have this discussion, wished he'd forget it and move on as she had.

"I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to get around to saying these things. I guess, more than anything I couldn't deal with the guilt. The guilt of putting you through such hardships during the x-files. The guilt of robbing you of your life… all those years we went into hiding" He cleared a lump in his throat, "You should have been able to watch your son grow…"

The computer bleeped its notification and Scully fought to turn off the acknowledgement of failure once more. Her hair was a mess and she looked in desperate need of sleep.

"The vaccine isn't going so well?" Mulder asked.

She shook her head slowly, "It's proving… difficult… to say the least"

The lab technician wheeled a cart of medical supplies and samples into the small office.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, can you sign for these Dr Scully?"

Scully scribbled a signature and the technician left just as swiftly.

Mulder handled a blood sample, studying the label closely. She was about to tell him to leave it alone when the marker pen inscription caught her eye.

"William Van De Kamp" Mulder pronounced.

"It must have been from when you were both brought in from the crash site, after the attack. William fainted after he-" It felt silly to admit their son had bought him back from the dead but that was exactly how it happened, "Well, they ran some tests just to be on the safe side"

"You tested his blood for traces of alien DNA?" Mulder asked, holding the sample up against the light.

"Yes, of course, when he first got here…"

"Could it have changed since you last tested it?"

She paused, considering the blood sample in her partner's fingers, "It doesn't really work that way…"

"But he was normal, completely normal, until he did the thing with the-" Mulder illustrated, "Putting 'life' back into something… that's not normal"

Scully folded her arms and paced the room as her partner continued,

"…I'm just saying. What if things changed"


	12. Chapter 12

Bobby climbed in through his open bedroom window, gesturing William to follow.

"Quiet" He whispered, placing a finger over his lips, "Keep it down or my sister will hear us"

Footsteps came thundering down the hallway, "Robert! Where the hell have you been?!"

The older sibling collared her brother, quickly observing the trickle of blood on his cheek.

"Are you hurt? What happened?" She asked in shock.

"Nothing Becky, lay off will ya?"

"You little dweeb, don't you get it? Mom left to keep us safe, and you're running around town as if this whole thing is a complete joke!"

She stopped in her tracks as William stepped into view, hauling himself over the window ledge.

"You're supposed to be dead…" She breathed, failing to hide the surprise in her voice.

"Yeah well he's not, okay"

Bobby wriggled out of his sister's clutches, leaving her to fold her arms, uncertain of her next move.

"Where are your parents?" She directed at Will.

"They weren't so lucky…"

The sunlight beaming through the open window fell abruptly. All three of them glanced cautiously outside, simultaneously falling silent. The litter on the streets below swirled in a whirlwind updraft, as the clouds grew dark.

"Is it a storm?" Becky suggested.

"Storms don't form that quickly, dumbass" Bobby quipped.

"Shhh" Will crouched down in the frame studying the mysterious clouds.

Flocks of birds flew away from the epicentre, squawking in fear as lightning flickered in amongst the grey.

"The birds are acting funny" Bobby pointed out.

A roar of thunder echoed down the street and the strange storm dissipated just as quickly as it had formed.

"What just happened?" Bobby questioned, looking blankly at his friend for reassurance.

William made for the stairs, his sneakers thudding loudly on the worn carpet. He flicked the light switch; nothing, as he'd guessed. He tried the phone and that too was uncooperative.

Bobby and Becky sprinted down the stairs after him.

"Powers out" William announced.

He paced back and forth for a while, vaguely wondering what to do until he sunk square into the coach in the living room, his head drooping in his hands.

Becky took the seat opposite, eyeballing her brother's odd friend with an air of scepticism.

"Right weirdo, I want to know everything you know" She demanded.

"Hey, the fridge is broken" Bobby called from the kitchen.

The others threw him a look, "Ah yeah, the power, right, got it" He clicked, grabbing a few soda's and joining them on the coach.

"The noise that me and Bobby experienced back at the school, I've seen it before. The same thing happened at the base I was residing in. They said it was caused by the ships passing over us…" Will explained, "… It's what made our ears bleed. Some kind of bizarre frequency, I'm not entirely sure how it works…"

"Ships? You mean this was like an attack?"

"They're not attacking, they're observing. This virus that is making everyone sick, they put it here, they somehow set it in motion. Now their watching it unfold"

"So, it's like the Russians or something?" Bobby asked with a confused expression.

"No, it's not Russia"

"China?"

"Jesus, Bobby" William sighed, slowly loosing the will to live, "No, they're not human… they're something else…"

"So the thing we just saw in the sky, that was the same as what you experienced at the school" Becky spoke slowly, still trying to get her head around the idea, "…And that's what's making everyone sick?"

"Exactly"

"So, shouldn't the authorities do something about this? I mean they bought in the military but they don't seem to know what they're doing" Bobby supposed.

"They probably still don't fully understand what they're up against"

"What, and you do?"

Will scratched his head, "I have a pretty good idea. I got up close and personal with one of those things…" Will remembered the big dark sinister eyes piercing through him, "… Let's just say you better hope they stay up there"

"So, what do we do?"

"People will start fighting back, they're already trying. The people I was staying with were working on a vaccine against the virus. If they're successful, we might stand half a chance"

"And if they're not successful?" Becky asked anxiously.

William shook his head. It didn't bear thinking about.

"I have to go" William rose.

"Go where?"

"They're here. That's bad news for you guys, but good news for me. My brother and my friend are on one of those ships"

….

The chromatography machine hummed rhythmically in the darkened room. Both Mulder and Scully hunched over the equipment watching feverishly as it performed its tasks.

"How long until we'll know?" Mulder asked, squinting at the computer monitor pretending he understood the data that had started to churn out.

"Couple of hours, maybe more" Scully flopped back in her office chair.

"Do you think it'll work?"

"I don't know. It's possible the DNA could have been present all along. It could have been laying dormant in his system until something triggered it to surface"

"Is that plausible?"

"Theoretically, yes. The trigger could be in the form of acute emotional trauma; he recently lost his adoptive parents, then there was the attack, and almost losing you and his brother. There have been a number of factors that could have contributed. Even puberty can spawn enough imbalances in the system…" She trailed off into her own wonderland of thought.

Mulder smiled. Her expression was one he'd often missed. She was caught up in her own racing thoughts as she explored her brilliant mind for answers. The surroundings weren't far from familiar as well, although he was more accustomed to the dingy basement office.

"You look like you need some caffeine, or maybe a decent sleep" Mulder interrupted, "Come on, we've got a couple of hours, it'll be waiting right here when we get back"

Scully reluctantly left the lab with him. She wouldn't have admitted it, but the fact she'd had to re-read each sentence four times before it made the faintest of sense was a pretty good indicator of her sleep deprivation.

They'd not seen another soul between the lab and the upstairs living area. Sections of the facility were still absent of power but luckily there were enough flickering overhead beams to light the way.

Scully plonked herself on the comfy coach as Mulder dug out the coffee sachet. He turned the empty packet upside down looking bemused at its lack of contents. He'd forgotten supplies were running dry with the lack of food drops.

"Bingo" He grinned, fishing out a sealed box from the back of one of the far cupboards; the perks of being tall.

By the time he'd poured out two mugs worth and added some powdered milk, Scully was curled up staring vacantly into space.

"Thanks" She said, as he handed her the warm mug.

"When the vaccine is successfully, I'm going to find our son" The words had escaped his mouth before he'd fully comprehended them.

" _If_ the vaccine is successful, Mulder. We don't know that it will be yet"

"You can do it, Scully" He cupped her small hands in his, "I know you can"

They melted into each other, and for a short moment it felt like home, like the times they lived together in Mulder's house. So many days of sorrow, but far more of happiness and enjoyment in one another's company. She'd missed the smell of the wood-burning stove that kept them cosy during the long winter evenings. More than ever she missed how he felt next to her, his soft skin warm under the quilted sheets, the faint scars across his back and abdomen, each a memento of their times working on the x-files.

"I'm coming with you…"


	13. Chapter 13

The car's engine grinded to a halt. Mulder cranked the handbrake up and left the keys dangling in the ignition as he studied the blissful cul-de-sac. He checked again the address scribbled on the shabby bit of paper. He was in the right place.

The house in question was across the street. The driveway was empty but it was around about the time kids would be turfed out of school, they'd be back soon.

Mulder shifted, pulling a crumpled photograph from his back pocket. He unfolded it carefully and ran his thumb along the crease trying to flatten it out. Smiling back at him was a cheerful baby boy, his son, William.

A blue people carrier pulled up in the driveway and the driver's side door was pushed open. Out stepped a young woman. She pulled her cardigan around her and fiddled with something in the back seat.

Mulder watched as she carefully lifted the tiny baby from his child seat, holding him close into her chest. She closed the car door after her and found the house keys in her handbag.

"William, honey, come on" She called back.

The passenger door eked open and a little boy jumped down from the seat, pushing the heavy door closed after himself. He slung his school backpack over a shoulder and followed his mother into the house.

"Mom, can I have some of my birthday cake?" The boy grinned.

"You can have some for dessert after dinner, okay sweetheart"

The mother kissed her son on his head. The voices grew distant as they entered the house and shut the front door behind them.

Mulder sat alone in silence for a moment. He picked out the small wrapped gift from the glove compartment; green dinosaur-wrapping paper with a little red bow. He knew it was against the rules. He shouldn't be anywhere near him, but he felt an overwhelming sensation that it was the right thing to do.

He got out of the car, checked around to make sure the coast was clear and approached the house. He made it as far as he dared to the threshold and tucked the little wrapped gift on the step before turning on the spot and darting swiftly away.

From the safety of the car he was about to start the engine and head off before the little boy burst through the front door, mitt and baseball in hand and a golden retriever barking excitedly in tow.

The boy jumped the first few steps and then stopped in his tracks, picking up the present and studying it quizzically as the dog jumped around his feet.

He searched around him, hoping to find the source of the token gift but no one was in sight.

Mulder sunk into his drivers seat trying to divert his attention, he should leave, he told himself, but he couldn't help but watch.

The young boy sat down on the step and unwrapped the present in hand. He held the Apollo keyring up against the light admiring it.

"William, what have you got there, honey?" The mother asked bringing her son out a glass of lemonade.

The boy handed his mother the gift, "It was on the porch, pretty neat, huh?"

"It's lovely, does it say who it's from?"

The boy shook his head.

Mulder turned the ignition, put the car in gear and pulled away completely unnoticed.

'Happy tenth birthday, son', he thought to himself in the empty car.

….

"William, wait, where are you going?" Bobby grabbed his friend by his jacket before he could leave the house.

"Let go, Bobby. I have to find my brother, and Rachel"

"Who's Rachel?"

William's patience was wearing thin; he didn't have time for long explanations, "A friend" He removed Bobby's grubby hands from his top, "I gotta' go"

He opened the front door, stood in the frame for mere seconds before throwing himself back inside and slamming the door shut behind him. The ground shook violently and everyone dropped to their knees as a raging flame lit up the outside, spewing ash through the cracks under the door and around the windows.

"What's happening?!" Becky let out a high-pitched scream.

Bobby crawled on his stomach across the carpet and peaked through the hem of the curtains.

"Holy shit!" He breathed, "Those are our planes. I think the military has issued an air strike on those things!"

William joined Bobby, coughing against the dust. Sure enough there was an American craft incinerated with fire still rolling off of the mutilated engine remains. More planes circled the invisible object in the sky, firing shots blindly, relying only on radar.

The bullets looked to be bouncing off like Ping-Pong balls, their weapons completely futile to the advanced technologies of the UFO's.

"That's really gonna' piss them off" Bobby remarked.

"Oh my god, what'd we do?" Becky repeated, rocking her hands in her head.

"Shut up, Becky, you're not helping!" Her brother complained.

William watched as one after another the light fighter jets fell to their fiery graves.

"We have to move, now, this house is right in the firing line, something's bound to come through the roof sooner or later" Will warned, "We go out the back door, jump the fence and across the park, it should be a safer distance"

The siblings nodded in agreement.

"Okay" Will twisted the handle of the back door, hovering over the threshold, "…And for Christ sake, try not to be seen. We don't want to become a moving target"


	14. Chapter 14

Mulder awoke shivering. His shallow breathing formed clouds of mist in the air around them. The heating must have been damaged by the tremors; either that or they were low on fuel.

He rolled off of the coach, careful not to disturb his sleeping partner. She needed the rest. He tossed a fleecy blanket over her small frame and stretched groggily. Everything hurt. He'd convince himself it came with the territory of getting older, but ultimately it was a lifetimes worth of abusing his body in the field.

Mulder closed the door softly behind him and made for the bathroom. With stiff and laboured movements he wrestled the shirt over his head. Damn, he thought. He'd bled through the cotton white material. Screwing up the tee, he threw it on the floor before Scully got a glimpse. She'd be fussing over him if she knew.

He turned the tap in the sink ready to refresh himself with a splash of water, hopefully even ease his rising temperature. It spluttered and spat, groaning uncooperatively.

Fuck sake. Mulder sighed.

He almost walked into Morgan as he exited the shower block.

"Sir" Morgan began, just as surprised.

"I told you, Morgan, call me Mulder" They both started moving down the corridor, "There's no need for hierarchy in this place… we all die together and what not…" He trailed as he pulled a clean shirt on.

"Hey, any idea why there's no water?"

It was superficial, given the current circumstances, but Mulder felt obliged to ask nonetheless.

"The maintenance team used to collect tonnes worth of snow and dump it into the melting tanks for processing and storage. We just don't have the man-power for it anymore…" Morgan explained.

"Right…" He nodded, feeling a little foolish that it was even on his list of priorities.

"Sir, I've just heard news from DC that they're issuing air strikes on the crafts. Is this true?"

Mulder stopped in his tracks. Intel hadn't mentioned anything about air strikes as yet.

"I'm sorry, I know it's none of my business, but my brother lives on the outskirts of DC. Dodging this virus is one thing, but a full blown aerial attack…?"

Mulder was speechless.

Morgan dropped his voice, "Is the world really going to shit?"

He couldn't lie, nor did he have the heart to speak the truth. Instead he placed an arm around his friend's shoulder and continued walking.

"Yes, and no. But right now our best chance is getting this vaccine developed and distributing it to large-scale manufacturing…" He paused, a little embarrassed that that was the extent of their plan thus far. "There's hope."

"Hope." Morgan repeated, "What can I do to help?"

"Continue doing what you're doing keeping this place alive and powered. Quartet off any expendable areas of the complex; we strip right back to the bare essentials. Keep the medical bay powered and the labs. Do what you can to keep everything running for as long as possible. We bleed everything dry to buy us enough time to develop the vaccine and then we leave, all of us"

Morgan nodded in understanding, "Yes, Sir" and turned on his heel eager to set to work.

"Where's Doggett?" Mulder announced, sauntering into the research hub.

To his surprise the place was deserted. Skinner and a female technician sat at one of the main desks feverishly assessing the computer data coming in.

"Mulder, we didn't expect you to be feeling better so quickly"

Skinner rose from the seat to greet his friend.

"Where is everyone?"

"Gone. They headed back to the main land a couple of days ago, moved operations entirely in order to distribute aid and co-ordinate relief efforts more effectively on the ground"

"Doggett?"

"Is heading up the operation. He's liaising with the military forces as we speak. Unfortunately the military is not often recognised for its ability to work in union. It's proving… difficult, to say the least"

Mulder suspected just as much.

"I heard they ordered an air strike in DC"

"Not just DC" Skinner pointed out, "Across a number of different states"

He bought up a map on the screen and Mulder cringed at the number of bright red crosses etched and widespread.

Mulder ran his hand through his hair, "I need to speak to the Head of State. Is that something our guys can organise?"

Skinner blew air through his lips, "I don't know, he's not a very easy man to get a hold of at the best of times"

"Okay, then the Secretary of Defence"

"They're not the kind of people you just phone up…"

"Make it happen, Skinner, I know you can. I need them online on a webchat by this evening, latest. We'll know if we have a suitable vaccine by then"

He knew they would have. He felt it in his bones. Scully had never let them down before, and she was strong, now more than ever.

….

Mulder was crawling under the projector adjusting cables right up to minutes before broadcast. They weren't entirely sure if the link would work but that was mainly due to the random power cuts and surges that kept plaguing the unit.

"We're on" one of the technicians announced as the screen came alive with static.

"Alright, get ready. We'll be live in five" Skinner warned.

Mulder straightened himself up, still ecstatic from earlier news. Things were finally taking a step in the right direction.

A large figure appeared in the weblink. Sat at a table and surrounded by a handful of other men in suits he looked wholly unimpressed.

"I don't know why I'm wasting my time here. I'm sure you're aware I'm a very busy man given the current global climate" The greying man sneered through the webcam.

"With all do respect, Sir, you just lost a third of your man power to a highly injudicious and ineffective airstrike. Unless you've got another senseless strategy I'd say you're shit out of luck, and might want to consider listening to the likes of this 'waste of time'… Sir"

The Secretary of Defence lent back in his chair, considering where the conversation was heading. He didn't like it.

"Who are you and what do you want?" He proceeded with caution.

"Agent Mulder, former Federal Bureau of Investigation. I believe a couple of your goons beside you know of me. They were assigned to kill me some ten years ago in their earlier roles. Luckily they failed. Begs the question how on earth they moved up in management…"

The men either side of the secretary shifted uncomfortably and the room fell silent.

"Alright Agent Mulder you've made your point. Please go on."

Mulder moved across the room to a large white board as Skinner tracked him with the camera. He grabbed a marker pen, drawing a sizable sphere on the board and turned to address the camera.

"Earth" Mulder explained, "…and in very basic terms, its atmospheric layers" he began drawing two sets of dotted lines around the diagram.

"The stratosphere runs to the altitude of about 50km, then above 85km we find the thermosphere" Mulder roughly shaded the area in between, "…but this space in between, the 'mesosphere' we know very little about, to the extent that it's often referred to as the 'ignorosphere'. Too high for planes or balloons, and too low to stick a satellite in orbit, it would de-orbit too rapidly to obtain any significant data…"

"If you have a point, Agent Mulder please feel free to come to it some time soon" The Secretary pressed.

"We've recorded these UFO's residing at a steady 70km in height. They hide in plain sight, hovering in inaccessible space. They can operate in this 'dead zone' where we cannot" He scribbled a large circle around the area to highlight, "In an area that is seemingly impossible for our aircraft to operate in. They will always have the upper ground. Any air base attack you engage in both provoked or as a counter, you will lose"

"So…" The Secretary cleared his throat; "You have a proposal for us, some sort of suggested plan of action"

"I do, Sir, but I can't help but feel you're not going to like what I have to say"

"Try us. About now we could use any ideas, however… Spooky"

"Both Russian and US states have satellites in orbit right now that carry nuclear warheads, put up there to out bid one another in a space-arms race that began in the late seventies"

"That information is classified…"

"Not to me" Mulder said a matter of factly. "Neither country would ever dare use this weaponry because it would destroy every satellite in orbit and create an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to wipe out all electronic equipment, rendering all our modern technologies completely useless. From GPS right down to the Rolex on your arm"

"Are you suggesting, Agent Mulder, that we are to deploy one of these weapons?"

"Yes Sir. We shoot ourselves in the foot; put ourselves into a check mate position, and then make our final move"

"Which is…?"

"Remove all technologies. Go back to basics and fight them on the ground"

"Destroy ourselves in order to destroy them" The Secretary questioned.

"Theoretically, but ultimately, yes"

The panel erupted into a chorus of argument and debate.

"Quiet. Enough." The Secretary warned, "The way I see it, there are two problems with this theory. What if this pulse destroys us and has no affect on the crafts?"

"We are not one hundred per cent sure the pulse will immobilise the crafts. But our scientists are very certain it will work"

"We're supposed to gamble the future of our planet on whether some lab coat in the arctic has done his math correctly…? My other concern is what happens next. Say, theoretically, we go along with this plan and wipe out our technologies and theirs, then what? How can we be sure we can beat them in hand to hand combat?"

"We can't be sure of that either. But with a cure, we would have a way of fighting back. We have to study them, capture the injured or deceased and find out their weaknesses…"

"You've seen this black oil virus, Agent Mulder, seen what it's capable of, how rapidly it spreads"

"True, Sir, I was exposed to it and infected and I recovered with an extensive course of antibiotics and a lot of temperature adjustment, a luxury that a lot of those infected just do not have. Time and resources are a limiting factor with an outbreak of this magnitude. And so, I have organised a team of scientists and medical doctors to search for a cure. This morning I received news from Agent Scully that the vaccine we have been working on so tiresomely for the last few years has finally been developed. This is our counter, this is our hope for survival" Mulder held a small vial to the screen, "This is the cure for the retrovirus, and we need to start large scale fabrication and distribution immediately"


	15. Chapter 15

"One. Two-"

Before William had a chance to finish a fireball of jet engine remains crashed through the side of the house.

"Three!" He cried, pushing Bobby and Becky through the open back door.

People were running wildly through the streets, screaming and diving for cover as the disaster unfolded before them. There was nowhere to aim for. The garden fence was aflame and the back lawn was littered with debris.

"There!" Bobby pointed, and they darted across the neighbours yard and into the shelter of the surrounding trees.

With no option to stop, they had to keep moving. William squinted his eyes against the smoky ruins as the intense heat of the fire encased them. It was disorientating until they made it to the road. Becky tripped off of the sidewalk and the three of them ducked to the ground narrowly avoiding a car door that whistled past their heads.

William fought to get his bearings. Beside him Becky had gotten to her feet and was running towards the school. Bobby was curled in a ball covering his eyes.

"Bobby, we gotta move!" Will grabbed a fist full of his jacket, shaking him roughly, "We are going to die if you don't move your ass!"

Bobby seemed to come to some sense and scrambled to his feet quickly.

As they broke into a run, dust flew at them from ahead as a craft, now clearly visible proceeded to land in the playground before them.

The boys stood shell-shocked as the terrifying creatures spilled out of the hatch doors crawling over one another and scanning their new surroundings.

"What the hell is that?!" Bobby cried.

"Oh shit." Was as much of a response Will could fathom.

One by one the creatures jumped frantic people, wailing shrieks of attack as they scurried in every direction.

Becky was grabbed and during the chaos both the boys were separated. William tumbled to the floor as a man slammed into him full force running from one of the creatures. The army was firing at them in a desperate attempt to slow them down but the bullets did little to stop them.

Will tried to get up but kept getting trampled by panicked crowds. When he dared uncover his face one of the creatures was stood over him, up close and personal. Will shuffled backwards, very careful not to lose eye contact.

To his left a soldier lay sprawled on the floor dead, his chest opened and exposing flesh. His machine gun was thrown out of his grasp but a handgun sat neatly in its holster around his waist. Will saw his opportunity and took it, fighting with the buckle just fast enough to point the gun at the being. He flicked off the safety, aimed the gun right between the beast's eyes and fired.

The gun clicked unresponsively, all its rounds clearly spent.

They considered one another, the creature knowing full well that the frightened boy before him was defenceless. It snarled, and seemed to hesitate, as though recognising him momentarily.

A sudden loud blast of a shotgun and blood splattered out of the side of the creature's head spraying Will with a black gloopy substance. The dark animated liquid crept down his body and oozed onto the floor pooling before seeping back into its dead host.

Will rolled the body off of his legs and glanced sideways trying to locate his saviour. A dark haired man in a leather jacket stood above him casually holding a handgun. Whilst the world around him was utter madness, the man looked completely unfazed. His eyes stared directly at Will and an ominous smile crept across his face.

The man was bad news and he sensed it immediately. Will clambered to his feet but the dark haired man beat him too it, grabbing his arm firmly with a tight lock.

"You're coming with me, kid."

An unmarked black van screeched into view and the side doors flung open as Will felt more hands on him, wrestling his struggling limbs into the back.

"No!" He yelled, still fighting against his captures.

As much of a warzone the outside world was, it seemed a far safer bet than wherever the unmarked van might be taking him.

The dark haired man shoved him forcefully into a seat.

"Sit down and shut up!" He ordered.

Out of the tiny back window Bobby was running after the van. Will couldn't hear him, but he seemed to be mouthing his name, calling out for him, scared. Just as they pulled out of view a creature tackled Bobby to the ground, slashing until the teenager stopped struggling and lay still, dead.

"Bobby!" William screamed, trying to pull the heavy rear doors open.

It was no use.

"Forget it. Your friend is gone." The man spoke calmly, taking a seat opposite him.

"You asshole! Let me go!"

"I just saved your life. A little gratitude wouldn't go a miss" The man blew his fringe out of his face.

"I don't trust you. I want out, now."

William was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Something told him whatever the man's motive; it was not going to be in his favour.

"Well I'm afraid I can't do that. I've got a delivery to make, you see. If you're anything like your old man, I'm not dropping my guard on you for one second. That slippery son of a bitch caused me too many headaches back in the day…"

"Who are you?" the words fell out of Will's mouth.

"My name is Alex Krycek, and I'm about to become your worst nightmare."

There was no sense in fighting the situation but nor did William want to sit back and let it unfold. He waited for Krycek to address the driver through the small hatch and took the opportunity, throwing himself at the sliding door. The door swung violently open and at that point William became frightfully aware of the speed at which the vehicle had been travelling. He made to jump but hands hauled him back inside pinning him to the metal floor.

"Big mistake, kid" Krycek snarled, holding a white cloth over his nose and mouth.

The door was still wide open and the road was loud as the sped along the dirt track. No one bothered to shut it. The other goons just seemed to watch the ordeal. William held his breath whilst he kicked wildly. He didn't dare inhale whatever chloroform or poison the cloth might be soaked in.

Pretty soon the drug took effect and Will felt his eyes drifting uncooperatively closed. He cursed himself for not being stronger, not having more willpower to hold his breath longer. The world went dark and his last residing thought was of Alex and the ticking time bomb that was invading his body.


	16. Chapter 16

"How soon can we get one of the planes back from DC?" Mulder asked, when the cameras were switched off.

Skinner shrugged his shoulders, "They've all been called in for med-evac and relief efforts. I think there's a Twin Otter stationed in Canada. They hold it for Arctic repatriation, I doubt they'd have hauled that in for aid just yet"

"Can you arrange it for a pick up? We need to get Scully and the vaccine over to the mainland. We'll scramble a larger plane to evac the rest of the crew here as soon as one becomes available"

"I'll get on it."

"Thanks, Skinner"

Scully stood in the doorframe having watched the conference call at a safe distance.

"That went better than expected" She smiled.

It was the first time he'd seen her smile in a long time. There was colour back in her cheeks, a reminder that she was human just like the rest of them. She'd come pretty close to 'mindless drone' at times when squirrelled away in the lab. He'd tried to keep tabs on her, make sure she was eating and sleeping but she'd often have scooted him out of her hair.

"You mean you were expecting them to disregard us and our theories?" He said sarcastically.

"You just resisted the urge to say 'I told you so'. You played nice… well, sort of"

"Guilty as charged." Mulder put his hands up in the air, "… It only took them twenty damn years to listen to us, Scully"

"I know, and you never gave up"

"Neither did you."

He planted a soft kiss on her forehead and smiled as her eyes met his.

"You did good, Scully. You saved us, all of us."

Across the room, the female technician rolled her chair away from the computer monitor.

"Umm, Sir…" She glanced warily to her co-workers, "There's a craft appeared a few kilometres outside the boundary fences"

"What the hell?" Skinner rushed to the screen to see for himself, "What's it doing there, and how'd it move so quickly without showing up on the systems sooner?

Mulder and Scully joined the crowd hesitantly.

"I don't know, Sir, but there's definitely something close by" She pointed out the blur on the screen, "Look, it's moving"

"At a hell of a rate" Mulder chimed in.

Warning signs flashed up all over the computers.

"They're past the perimeters"

"Oh my God, they're after the vaccine. They know it's been a success…. Set off the emergency warning systems, we need to let everyone know what's happening" Scully's hand hovered over the switch.

"Wait!" Skinner grabbed her wrist, "We'll throw everyone into panic" He lowered his voice, "We don't have enough man power or weapons to hold our own. If they get in here we don't stand a chance."

"If they get in here, mankind doesn't stand a chance" Scully eyeballed her superior, "We fight, with everything we've got. We have to protect this. Our future is riding on it"

Skinner faltered before releasing her hand.

On the screen, the craft had deployed a dozen creatures, all making their way menacingly to the main steel doors. One of the creatures glanced at up at the security cameras in a half mocking manner before throwing its full body weight against the barricade. The vibrations echoed through the complex.

"Scully! Do it!" Mulder yelled, as her hand slammed the warning switch and sirens resonated throughout the base.


	17. Chapter 17

William stared blankly at the white painted walls of his prison. Everything smelt sterile and there was an unfavourable chill in the air. The hatch door creaked open and Will jumped to his feet as Krycek stood in the frame.

"There's someone that would like to meet you…" He finally spoke.

"First, I want to know where the hell you've taken me." Will clenched his fists. This guy, Krycek was already beginning to piss him off.

"Arizona" The man answered bluntly. "He won't appreciate being kept waiting."

Krycek stepped aside, gesturing Will to follow. As he shifted the mop of black hair brushed away from his forehead revealing a jagged scar running down the length of his forehead and to the bridge of his nose.

Krycek scoffed when he caught the kid glaring at him, "Not everyone dies, you know, William"

Will didn't move, "Why do I get the feeling you and my father have history?"

Krycek pulled a strange looking device from his pocket. As he flicked it on, the Taser sparked awake.

"Look, Kid, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I suggest you don't do anything stupid like your old man; although if you decide to it'll be a lot more fun for me"

Will hesitantly followed his newfound enemy through the long corridors of the white complex. Their footsteps echoed as they paced the laminate floors, passing hundreds of sealed liquid nitrogen containers stacked neatly in units.

He wanted desperately to ask more, but was certain Krycek had already revealed as much as he were willing.

They came to a halt outside a passcode-protected entrance, of which Krycek promptly patched in the number.

"Wait here." He warned, disappearing behind the door.

William spun on the spot searching for anything that resembled an exit or escape. The walk across had been disorientating enough. Rows upon rows of stacked tanks and mysterious white doors, none of which gave any direction.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the faintest of clues. In small letters, the words 'Alcor Life Extension Foundation' printed on the side of one of the containers.

Krycek forced the door open wide, startling him as a cloud of haze escaped around their feet.

"He'll see you now."

….

"Where are all the firearms kept?" Scully demanded as they rushed downstairs.

"There's a safe storage on the second floor, they're under lock and key" the COM's technician replied, panting to keep up.

"Where's the key?" Scully pressed as they stood before the clear glass separating them from the weapons.

"Agent Doggett usually has it, I think he handed it over to maintenance for safe keeping-"

There was a loud smash of shattering glass as Mulder hurled a substantial printer through it. Shards littered the tiled floor and the printer cables trailed lifelessly along side it. Both he and Skinner immediately began helping themselves to guns and ammunition, casually filling their pockets and distributing them to the growing crowd of residents joining the barricades.

Mulder tossed Scully a shotgun and a few rounds, which she naturally accepted as though there were nothing out of the ordinary about it.

"Have you ever fired a gun?" Scully asked the shaky woman beside her.

She composed herself, "No."

"Okay, it's very easy. Point and shoot. Safety on, and off." She manoeuvred the safety for demonstration.

The woman took the gun holding it almost at arms length and looking upon it with disgust.

"Hopefully you won't have to use it, but better to be prepared" Scully placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "You'll be fine"

They retreated into the canteen where everyone seemed to be congregating.

"Morgan!" Skinner yelled across the hall.

The man spotted them and dashed over.

"You helped build this place. Where is the safest place, with the strongest withstanding to hide the vaccine?"

Morgan resembled a deer caught in headlights, "Umm, wait, let me think about this…"

"Come on, Morgan, we don't have much time. We've got to protect this with everything we've got" Skinner hurried.

Morgan tapped the iPad alive and brought up a detailed map of the complex.

"The labs have a lockdown default in the event of a contaminant breach. Nothing can get into it without the appropriate codes. Reinforced walls with an airlock passageway-"

"What if they hack it?" Skinner interrupted.

"We won't have to worry about it. There are manual defences too; concrete doors with steel bolts"

"When we're inside, how do we get out again, what are our options for escape routes?"

"Umm…" Morgan highlighted the electronics and power supply section of the map, "…Well, there's an air duct and ventilation system. I mean, those things will likely see it coming, but hopefully we can put enough of them down to escape. That is, providing no more surprise ships show up to the party…"

There was a deep rumble within the building. Morgan flicked screens to the security cameras, zooming in on the outside set. The hatch had been ripped apart and the demons were pouring into the building.

"Alright, lets haul ass" Skinner ordered and the team exited the canteen heading directly for the lab.

They broke up, a team ahead with Scully and the vaccine in the middle and Mulder and Skinner close by. They reached the staircase and already the creatures were climbing. Some scrambled the stairs whilst others clambered vertically along the bars.

Gunfire lit up the staircase like fireworks and periodical screams from both beast and men resonated as they fell, struck by bullet or by clawed limb.

Scully ran with the vaccine securely fastened around her waist, close to her body and away from harms reach, or as much as possible. Her feet kept her moving but she was surprised at her accuracy after so many years away from the field. She fired at a creature clawing at one of the residents. It fell from their back as the bullet skimmed through the air and made contact right between its beady eyes.

"We need to get rid of all of them before we enter into the safe-room, buy us some more time…" Skinner yelled between shots.

Mulder threw one of the creatures over the railing, holding his gun to its head he fired twice and then released the lifeless body letting it fall the entire length of the stairs, "Duelled noted, Sir" he said sarcastically.

"Any ideas how many of them?" Scully called.

"Not a damn clue"

They reached the lab level, slamming the door to the stairwell and locking it shut before retreating down the corridor. It was uncertain how many lives had been lost.

The power flickered as they made there way through the corridor. The lights beamed in and out of focus eventually fading to nothing as they were plunged into darkness.

"They cut the power" Morgan spoke, not really a question, nor statement.

"What about the back up generator?" Mulder asked.

"That _was_ the back up generator"

One of the technicians turned on a flashlight, saving them from tripping over one another.

Beside her, Scully sensed her partner dropping to his knees.

"Mulder?" She bent down to his level.

His eyes clenched shut and his hands clawing at his hair, he looked to be in a world of pain.

"Arrrgh" He cried, "Can you not hear that?!"

"What is it, what do you hear?"

"Them!"

Scully fought with him; trying to get him to look at her, focus on her.

"They're inside me!" He howled, and a shiver ran down Scully's spine as she realised how little she could now do for her partner.

Mulders eyes darted open and photographed the room, scanning and surveying every inch of it's layout and those dwelling within it. Except the eyes were not his own, they were a conduit, a direct link to those invading his mind.

"They see everything," he breathed in panic, "…I can't stop it…"

It was Skinner who acted. No one else seemed to know what to do. He placed the barrel of his gun right against Mulder's forehead and loaded.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Scully screamed.

"He's endangering every one of us. He could kill as all in that room with them controlling him"

The pain surged again, like sharp bony fingers digging deep into his brain and squeezing hard, pushing everything that were 'him' aside and infecting it with a darkness, a black death spreading into every neuron.

"Kill me!" Mulder cried out in agony.

He hated himself for being so weak. He knew pain, welcomed it like an old friend. But never had he felt lack of control like this. Never had he felt so vulnerable.

Skinner lowered his gun, looked the distressed man in the eye and saw hidden beneath the demon, the faintest remnants of his friend. In an instant of insanity, he turned the gun around and slammed the grip handle against Mulder's head. In one foul movement, Mulder was knocked unconscious. A spray of blood splattered the floor as he fell, lying still and momentarily out of his misery.


	18. Chapter 18

Five Years Ago

"William, my love. Why don't you come over here and meet your baby brother?"

His mother's words were warm and comforting. Her voice felt like home.

He'd missed her the past few days. He'd been kept at his grandparents whilst they were at the hospital and had never felt so insecure. Mom and Dad were off having his replacement, a new son that would supersede him, that would be better because it was biologically theirs, unlike himself. He was a spare, a child to temporarily fill the void until they were able to have their own.

"Son, come on over next to your Mom and say hello to baby Alex" His father encouraged.

William shook his head uncooperatively and remained rooted to the spot, with his mother growing ever concerned.

"Darling," She addressed her husband kind-heartedly, "…Would you mind changing Alex?"

He collected the bundled infant from the basket beside the bed and disappeared into another room. William surveyed the balloons and congratulatory cards decorating the hospital room. There were stuffed animals and an abundance of blue baby clothing neatly piled on the bedside table.

"William, sweetheart…"

Her words snapped him back to attention.

"Can I have a cuddle from my special boy?"

William crawled into her arms and buried his head in her chest as she embraced him warmly. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

"What's wrong?" She asked, when he raised his eyes to meet hers.

"You won't want me any more, now you have a new baby…" His words fumbled out and he wasn't sure what else to say.

"Sweetheart, you are the most important thing in the world to me and your Daddy. Don't be so silly…" She brushed his hair out of his face and gently kissed his forehead, "…And baby Alex is so lucky to have such a wonderful brother like you. He's going to look up to you, you know"

William scrunched his face, trying to come around to the idea.

"But, I wasn't born like him. The lady that had me first, I mean, why didn't she keep me, didn't she want me? Where is she now?"

"I wish I knew more about where you came from. If I had the answers, I'd tell you everything, William. But you came to us…" She paused, wondering how to explain to her nine year old that his background was so sensitive it had been wiped from the system altogether, that he'd been a ghost before a year old. Whatever life he'd had before coming into the Van De Kamp family must have been a sorry state. The only vague conduit to his past was a mysterious man named Walter Skinner whom occasionally popped by to check that everyone was alright.

"Let me tell you a story, William, about the first time I ever met you…" She straightened the collar of her son's chequered shirt and ironed the creases out with her fingers, "…A lovely lady brought you over to our home, and she placed you in my arms. You were so tiny and so beautiful. And the first time I laid eyes on you, I fell in love with you. In that moment, I became your mommy, and you became the most important thing in my entire life…"

His father peeked through the door with his now babbling baby brother, looking alert and inquisitive.

"Do you want to hold him?" His mother suggested.

William nodded, still a little uncertain, and the wriggling baby was placed in his lap. It was small and wrinkly and looked pink and weird. William felt awkward holding it. He was about to ask his mother to relieve him of the burden, when a tiny hand reached out towards him. William held it apprehensively and watched as the smallest fingers wrapped around his, and the baby smiled at him.

"See…" His father chimed, readying the camera, "He likes you, champ"

"Hello, Alex" William whispered to the wrinkly baby in his arms, "I'm you're big brother, and I'm going to look after you"

….

William followed Krycek into the icy room. His breath lay heavy in the air with each exhale. Across the room, an old man stood with his back to them, a thick jacket around his chest he looked to be engrossed in something.

"My dearest William…" The old man croaked, addressing him without turning round, "…I wondered about the circumstances of which we would inevitably meet"

William looked up at Krycek stood beside him, searching for some kind of prompt, but the man was giving nothing away. This was clearly his superior, the man of which he answered to.

"How do you know who I am?" Will proceeded cautiously.

"I've known you from the day you were born, my boy. I've followed every inch of your life very closely for the past fifteen years…"

"Why?"

It was simple, but seemed the only logical question. At one stage in time, being told he was the object of some bizarre geriatric's interest would have had him very worried. Now, however, what with all the recent exposures coming to light it came as little surprise.

"Because, William, we have more in common than you know…" The man finally turned slowly, revealing a hideously disfigured face, "You and I, William, share something…"

"I share nothing with you, old man. Now, tell me what the hell is going on here!"

"Blood. William, we share blood. And also, perhaps, something else; a future… a future that will be denied to millions of people…"

William shook his head. He didn't want to hear any more of this bullshit.

"Why did you leave, William?"

"Leave what?"

"Leave your parents; Agents Mulder and Scully…"

"To do something..." The words fell out of his mouth, "...To try to help rather than hide in the shadows and hope everything turned out okay."

"But what are you searching for?"

William frowned. The man knew his biological parents, knew his life, and seemed to know more than he himself did.

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"Your brother, Alex. Your dear friend, the daughter of the scientist" The man mocked. " I can help you."

"No deal. Now let me go."

"I know where they are"

"Then you better tell me, right now"

"First, I want you to help me with something" The man sneered wickedly.

"I told you, I don't make deals with the devil. I'm not helping you with anything. Now, tell me where my brother is" He felt his fists clench as the rage built within him.

"You forget, William, that I require your assistance a lot less than you do mine. Be smart about this, by my watch your beloved brother and friend have mere hours before the vaccine becomes incapable of saving them"

"You heartless bastard!" William cried, launching himself for the sinister old man.

Before he'd had a chance to react, Krycek had him held tight in a headlock.

"It's okay, Alex, release him…" The man spoke calmly, lighting a cigarette between his fingers.

"…So much like your old man" he took a long inhale of the cigarette, the tip glowing as he did so, "… Shame. I'd hoped you'd have a little more sense to you, but alas, you're just as reckless as him"

As soon as Krycek released his hold, William lunged forward but was stopped mid-air right before he got close. An invisible force held him in place, grasping his fists and restraining his fighting body. William searched to figure out what on earth was going on. He was completely incapacitated.

"Lead with your head, William, not your heart. If you make that mistake you'll end up like the rest of them. Cold and dead buried in the earth… or if you're even less lucky, mauled by the greys…" He took another puff, "Now, let's try this again afresh. Here's how it's going to pan out. You're going to help me with a little something, and then I'm going to help you find your brother and your friend. Understand?"

….

"Holy shit…" Morgan breathed, "…You killed him"

"He's alive, just knocked out" Skinner hauled the lifeless Mulder on to his good shoulder, "Give me a hand?"

Morgan grabbed the other arm.

Skinner lowered his voice to Scully's ear, "Scully, do you have any idea what the hell just happened there?"

She watched as her partner was manhandled into the lab and deposited on the cold, hard floor.

"I don't know. That has never happened before. The voices are always… distant, harmless. They've never affected him like that. Certainly never been all consuming as they were there. For a moment, Mulder was gone…"

Skinner looked equality concerned.

"Alright," Scully cleared her throat, assessing how many of them there were left, "I want half this team downstairs protecting the medical bay. So far there's been no damage to the area, I believe they see it as non-threatening. Nevertheless it needs defending. The remainder of you will stay here. We create a first line of defence outside the lab and a second just before the airlock system. Six people remain inside as our final line of defence"

The residents immediately began organising themselves.

"Skinner and Morgan, you're inside here with me. I need two more and a load of ammunition. If you're handy with a gun or hand to hand combat I suggest you protect the perimeters. We don't want to get to the second line of defence if we can help it. Good luck, everyone. The fate of our world is quite literally in your hands"

She handed a rifle to one of the COM's team, "…Give em' hell" She murmured, embracing her inner badass.

Things were about to get messy.

Inside the lab, Skinner and Morgan set to work installing all the appropriate protection, from locking down the remaining electronics that weren't damaged in the power out, to lifting metal reinforcements into place to protect the doors.

She crouched next to Mulder and checked his pulse. Alive. Just. It was as good as she could do for him now. Locking down the lab was the priority. As soon as that were done she could see to him. She rolled him on his side into the recovery position and watched his mouth twitch as though he were murmuring gibberish. None of them had yet planned what to do if he were to awake in the same state. They all just prayed it would pass. They prayed even more so that the invaders would give up and move on. Something told her this was not going to be the case.


	19. Chapter 19

The pounding in his head was overwhelming as he began to regain consciousness. He was disorientated beyond belief and there were people stepping over him, moving lab equipment around the room and barricading the doors.

"Urghh" He groaned, bringing his hands to his face.

"Mulder" Was the all too familiar response as she came to his aid, "…You okay?"

"What the hell happened?" He peeled his fingers away from his face and looked up at the beautiful woman before him.

She was crouched over him, feeling for his pulse and tucking the unruly strand of hair out of his eyes in that way she did. It must have been a recognised medical technique because it made him feel significantly better every damn time.

Behind her, Skinner realised his awakened state and marched over to one of the shelves without a word. Scully ignored him, carefully helping her partner to sit up.

"Easy" She warned, but Mulder's focus was on Skinner, "…I think you nipped a stitch on the way down. There's blood all over your shirt"

"Or could have been all the running around alien-busting" Mulder remarked, "Is the vaccine safe?"

"Don't answer him" The tall bald man handed a syringe to Scully.

"What is this?" She asked, without taking the injection.

"Benzodiazepine" Skinner replied, placing the drug in her hand, "You're going to sedate him."

"What? No. He's just had a massive concussion. Besides, he's fine now, whatever happened it's stopped"

"What's to say it won't happen again?" Skinner argued.

The memory suddenly flashed back to him in a wave of realisation. He remembered the gun, and Skinner's deadpan expression as he held the barrel to his head.

"You asshole, you were going to shoot me!" Mulder made to get up and winced as his side and head protested simultaneously.

"You asked me to kill you, Mulder. Remember. I did the next best thing"

"I asked you to kill me?!" Mulder was totally lost; there was a bizarre gap in his memory.

"You don't recall begging me to put you out of your misery?"

Mulder shook his head, feeling growing concern on his part.

Scully's expression was even harder to read. She scrunched her face, and Mulder sensed the doctor within her running though all the possible explanations.

"You were…" She paused, searching for the right word, "…Invaded by something, the greys. They were using you as some kind of outlet"

"We're wasting time, Scully. They could realise he's awake and use him again any second. Put him out, or I will." Skinner warned.

There was a pause as Scully considered the tranquilisers in her grasp. Against her better judgement she couldn't bring herself to load it. Skinner looked ready to take it and do it himself.

"Scully" Mulder touched her hand softly, "Do it."

He didn't fully understand what had gone on, but clearly his lack of recollection was a bad sign. He hated the thought of being out cold whilst the others were left fighting and protecting alone. What if the creatures broke through, what if a bullet fired from his weapon could have been the dice roll of the vaccine making it to the mainland or not? Ultimately, the decision was out of his hands. He was in no fit state to fight back against Skinner.

He sighed, rolling up his sleeve in defeat.

Skinner seemed to appreciate the co-operation from his former agent and dropped his attention to finish help secure the lab.

"That's everything, Sir" One of the woman announced, and they all stood back to admire their handiwork.

This was what would keep them alive. This was what was left to protect mankind's last hope.

He watched her as she tapped a vein and sunk the needle in with the precision of twenty-five years in medicine. He surveyed the clear liquid plunge into his arm. It felt cold entering his bloodstream and he let his head roll back awaiting the familiar sensation of ecstasy before his consciousness would let slip once more.

"Help me move him over here" Scully gestured, and Skinner grabbed under his other arm, lifting him to his feet.

"Clear that gurney" She ordered, and someone produced a bed of which he was promptly laid onto, "…Sleep it off, Mulder. Don't worry, it's safe. Those bastards aren't getting their filthy hands on it…"

Her voice grew ever distant until it faded completely along with all other senses. Numbed to existence, he drifted off, withdrawing back into his mind where it was safe and secure, for now, at least.

...

"I guess maybe we should have a rota for who keeps watch whist the others sleep?" Morgan suggested.

"Sounds a good idea. I'll go first" Skinner agreed.

They'd been hiding away for hours and all seemed eerily quiet outside. It was as if the creatures had totally withdrawn as soon as the lab hatch was locked.

"Anything?" One of the men radioed to the line outside.

"Nothing, all quiet out here, it's as if they just disappeared leaving their dead behind" The radio crackled in response.

Skinner rubbed his beard in frustration, wondering what the hell they were playing at. It made no sense.

"Alright, everyone, get some rest"

There was a chorus of shuffling as the individuals within the small lab laid down their weapons and found a comfortable spot to curl up for some brief shuteye.

The last few lights were turned out until all that remained was the iPad monitor showing the only standing security camera link, and the single humming bulb of which Scully used to suture up her partner's wounds.

Skinner moved over to the red headed agent. She scratched her brow with her elbow, careful not to contaminate anything. She looked exhausted.

"Hey" Skinner began, moving to stand over the gurney, "You need some sleep too, you know. Probably more than any of us"

Scully smiled and she snipped the end of thread on her partner's abdomen, admiring her handy work.

"You spend most of your time fixing him. Nothings changed there"

"I'm a doctor, it's what I do. How's the shoulder?" She asked, motioning to his healing bullet wound.

"Fine"

Scully rubbed some iodine into the stitches before rolling down Mulder's shirt and turning her attention to Skinner.

"I know you'd rather him awake, but you did the right thing."

"I hesitated for selfish reasons." She finally confessed.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought if he could communicate with them, he could find William. I just needed to know he was safe"

"You mean, you think the greys have him?"

"Of course. He was looking for his brother. He wanted to be caught"

"You think?"

"It's what Mulder would have done, and he's so much like his damn father" She gestured to the man before them, unsure if she was annoyed at his recklessness, or admiring his unique thought outlook.

"I've know William since he was little. He's a lot more like you then you realise. He's got a level head on him, that boy. I'm not saying don't worry, I'm just saying trust him. Have faith in his judgement"

The radio crackled in Skinner's hand, "Sir, we've got movement out here. A whole lot of movement".

The voice was panicked. Sounds of gunfire transmitted through the radio, echoed in the walls outside as everyone in the room jumped immediately to attention clutching their weapons.

Scully snapped off her latex gloves and grabbed for her shotgun, clenching the weapon tight in her hands.

The radio went dead and the gunfire ceased. Everyone stood in an eery silence as Skinner approached the steel doors, placing his palm flat on it's surface. They were certain that everyone outside was now dead.

"This is it" He whispered to himself.

A rumbling grew deep from the foundations as the full force of seismic proportion flung itself against the barricades causing the room to shake.

Skinner retreated slowly until all five of them were stood side by side, weapons in hand and pointed towards the doors, ready and waiting for what was to surely come.

END

Thank you for persevering with me for the second half of this story, it's been fantastic reading all your reviews and words of encouragement. It's truly kept me going when I've been stuck for direction. I'll be working on Part 3 very shortly so keep your eyes out. The truth is out there!


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